Anything For You
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: Hitsugaya discovers a plot to take over Soul Society. Hinamori's life is on the line and Hitsugaya is forced to fight for her sake. But this will be one of the toughest battles of their lives, and winning is not going to be easy...
1. Conspiracy Of The Shadows

Anything For You

Prologue

Chapter 1. Conspiracy Of The Shadows

Tite Kubo owns Bleach...not me...cause I'm not him.

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Moonlight filtered through small openings from all over the cavern.

The roof was ancient and worn out from time and all of it's activities. Shadows expanded as the night progressed, causing the seemingly empty cave to darken with every second that passed.

Finally, the moon in the shape of a cat's claw, shifted position to the center of the sky, where it's full amount of light poured into a hole in the cave roof. The darkness and shadows were overcome in an instant and the light illuminated the entire cave.

Gradually, several blurred figures made their ways into the presence of the glow. There were fifteen of them, and out of the crowd, one individual stepped forward into the direct beam of the light. They were all the size of humans, only they were not humans in the slightest, nor were they Shinigami. They took on the forms and sizes of people.

The one in the center of the group raised his head, and let his vulgar brown-green gaze fall upon the fourteen around him. Once he had made eye contact with each and every one of them, he raised his head and broke the eerie silence.

"Fellow Vasto Lorde," his voice was sickening.

It sounded like a dying animal that had had it's throat sliced open and was drowning in it's own blood. The echoes drifted about the cave, and after a moment's pause, he continued. "The time is drawing nearer. The time in which our powers will flourish."

Another pause.

"Most of us that are here right now know of the failure that we witnessed the last time we received our abilities." Some of the others around him nodded solemnly. "As you know, we have the ability to change forms, but that is only once every 5th solar eclipse. However, some of you are new to this and have not yet heard of this privilege. That is why I have called this gathering tonight."

The others' eyes were all on him now, and he began his story.

"We Vasto Lorde receive the ability to morph forms, but only every 5th solar eclipse. Every time this certain solar eclipse comes around, only us Vasto Lorde can change shape, and only for the week of the eclipse. The last time this happened, we changed into Shinigami and planned to invade Seireitei to steal the King's Key. But somehow, the Shinigami anticipated our actions and slaughtered over half of our own before we even reached Rukongai. Only about twenty of the hundred of us escaped that day. And five more of us died of old age over the past centuries. But now, the time has come again that we can change our forms and infiltrate Seireitei, and successfully take possession of the King's Key!"

The others around him raised their voices in caterwauls. Such horrid sounds echoed around that cave. Their voices sounded of twisted and deformed creatures, screeching and hissing as if being burnt in the flames of Hell.

Once the sounds died away into a low grumble, like that of thunder, the leader went on with his explanation of the plot.

"The solar eclipse we have been waiting for will occur in three days. Once we have effectively transformed into Shinigami we will have seven days and seven nights to slip into Soul Society, get the information we need and take the King's Key. When the moon's light shines through this hole on the seventh night, our time will be up." He flicked his head towards the hole above them. "If we have possession of the key at that time, then our mission will be complete, we will be invincible, and _we _will rule all of Rukongai!"

The others all began to screech their praises once again. The leader lifted his head to the night sky and shouted above all of the voices,

"We shall take revenge for all of our slain kin, and make the Shinigami pay for what they have done!"

The other Vasto Lorde shouted their approval to the stars above. As the screams began to die down, the leader once again spoke.

"Now, let me inform you all of how we will follow this plan out. In three days, when we change forms, we shall all sneak into separate parts of Rukongai. We will be divided into three groups of four and one group of three.

One group shall enter from the North, one from the East, South, and West gates of Soul Society. Once in Rukongai, we shall travel to Seireitei and get past the Gate-Keepers. If we all stay hidden, than we will not be found out in seven days. We will gather information about each and every Shinigami, and on the fourth night, we will all meet up and discuss our information.

Once we have all agreed, we shall track down who is thought to be one of the most powerful Shinigami and we will catch him off guard. Then, we will take him as a hostage and threaten to kill him if the key is not surrendered to us. It gives them about three days to decide, and if they agree and surrender the key, then they will be in the palms of our hands.

However, if they refuse, we shall kill the hostage, and thus they loose a powerful member. After that, we can either attack Soul Society when they least expect it, or leave them to grieve over the loss of a powerful member for many centuries to come." Most of the others nodded in understanding, but one Arrancar looked confused.

"Wait," He croaked. "If we can attack Soul Society, why not just do it now and get it over with?" The elder Arrancar met his gaze and responded,

"We _could_ attack at any time, but we choose to wait, until we can change forms so we can make our moves secretly. When we transform, we take the shapes of Shinigami, and gain similar reiatsu so we cannot be detected and found out. Attacking will be a last and final resort, if necessary.

But if we were to attack in these forms, they could easily distinguish us and we would not be given enough time to gather the needed information. They would have us surrounded and executed in an instant. It would basically be suicide." The other Arrancar nodded, and the leader continued.

"We leave Hueco Mundo in three days. I shall assign groups on the departing day. Dismissed."

The rays of light from the moon slowly edged away from the hole in the ceiling of the cave, once again leaving the area below in total and complete shadow.

The only noises that were heard afterwards were the faint scrapings of footsteps as the Arrancar crept back into the darkness, and a single, lone gust of wind slipped through the frosted trees in the silent, Winter night.


	2. No One Else But You

Chapter 2. No One Else But You

Still do not own Bleach.

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Hinamori Momo darted through the Shinigami crowding the streets of Seireitei.

The sun was beginning to slide down towards the West, and this would be one of the last times that she saw it within the next 48 hours. The brown-haired girl skidded to a halt at the 10th division's building. She pushed through the door and did not waste a second as she glided up a flight of stairs, which led to her friend's office. She knocked softly and after a few moments, the door was slid open by a white-haired boy.

"Konnichiwa, Hitsugaya-kun." Her voice was soft and friendly, but the boy noted that there was some other emotion in her voice, shyness.

"Oy. I think I've told you a million times already, it's Hitsugaya taichou." He grumbled.

Non the less, he let the girl into his office with a small sigh, and slid the door closed behind her.

"Where's Matsumoto-san?" She asked, taking a seat on the couch. Hitsugaya sighed again as he sat next to her.

"I honestly have no idea. Probably out drinking, for no reason."

She simply nodded to show that she had heard him. The boy cocked his head, and noticed that her feet were swinging slightly back and forth on the floor. Her eyes did not meet his for they flickered nervously about the room. It almost seemed as though she were trying to keep a secret from him.

After a moment of silence, Hitsugaya had to ask,

"Okay, what's on your mind?" She seemed startled at the question, for she jumped and turned to face him.

"W-What do you mean Hitsugaya-kun?"

"You just answered your own question, you're stammering. Now just tell me what it is that you want to say."

"What if I have nothing to say?" She challenged.

"Then tell me why you came all this way." His aqua eyes sparkled with triumph.

The breath she had been holding in was let out as a sigh.

"W-Well I w-wanted to ask you, if you would like to watch the solar eclipse with me tomorrow." She explained softly, shyness lacing her voice.

She glanced at him, hoping to meet his gaze, but he was avoiding her eyes.

"Well, I don't know, _she_ asked me first and I was going to watch it with someone else…"

Hinamori's eyes widened as she let out a small gasp.

Her heart was stabbed with thorns of shock, betrayal, and hurt.

_He…has a girlfriend?_

Hitsugaya turned towards her and almost fell over with the guilt of his cruel joke. She looked as if she was going to collapse and shatter into a thousand tiny pieces, and her brown eyes were filled with tears and pain.

"O-Oy! H-Hinamori, calm down! I was just kidding!" He stammered frantically.

Her eyes widened a bit at his words and a few stray tears made their way down her face.

"H-H-Hitsugaya-kun," She sniffled.

The boy winced at the pain in her voice. "You-you're so mean!!!" She hit him on the back of his spiky head with a firm hand.

He laughed and sat up straight again.

"Gomenasai." He snickered with a grin. "I didn't know that you'd actually _believe _me." She hit him again.

"W-Well what did you expect? You're such a good actor, how was I supposed to know you were faking?"

The pain in her eyes had melted away into playful annoyance, and the remaining tears that had threatened to fall, had dried and receded. He laughed again and rubbed his head. He leaned back against the soft material of the couch, as did the girl at his side.

Then, he reached his arm over to the girl's shoulders and pulled her close to him.

"Baka. There's no one else I'd rather be with."

Her eyes widened slightly at the un-expected gesture. The fact that his arm was around her made her feel a bit nervous, and her breathing slowed so much that she hardly breathed at all.

Then, after a few moments, the feeling of nervousness turned to comfort, and she let her breathing return to normal. She rested her head on his shoulder and snuggled closer to him for warmth.

She lost track of time and eventually, without her knowing it, her eyes slipped closed and she fell into a warm, comfortable, and protected slumber. It was only moments afterwards, that the boy noticed the change in her breathing and tilted his head to her direction. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was open the slightest bit, her body rose and fell slightly with each gentle breath she took. The only sounds were her soft pants as she rested.

Only then did Hitsugaya silently thank himself for having locked the door, even if it had been by accident.

Eventually, his eyelids began to feel heavy, and he too drifted into a peaceful and undisturbed slumber with his best friend at his side.

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A small flurry of snow danced silently in the lonely sky.

The wind blew harshly outside the cave, and the gathered Vasto Lorde were completely consumed in the shadows. The moon that had taken on the shape of a cat's claw only two nights before had now waned into darkness. There was no light in the cavern tonight, for the new moon gave off no illumination.

Just a few more hours. In only a few more hours, the solar eclipse would take place, thus, granting them their abilities to transform.

There was an excited and impatient aura floating about the cave. Each and every Arrancar anticipated the nights end.

Then, amongst the silence, the sound of an animal drowning in it's own blood, was heard.

"The eclipse will take place shortly before noon tomorrow. It will only last about eight minutes, but that will be plenty of time for us to transform. Once the eclipse has ended, I shall inform everyone of the groups they shall travel in and which Gate of Rukongai you shall enter through. Also, think of a name you will want to use in your Shinigami form. Remember; only use one name, as to not give away any information. Because if we choose a last name that already belongs to someone, we will be in quite a predicament, so only think of a first name. And, think of which squad and seat you will say you are from if interrogated. Just do not state that you are a captain or lieutenant, and if you are interrogated, be sure to find out what squad _they _are from so you do not say that you belong to their division."

The others around him nodded in understanding, and the wind blew on outside.

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A/N: Ano...Gomenasai, I forgot to put an A/N in the first chapter and I do not know how to fix that. But here was some HitsuHina for you all, to make up for the lacking in Chapter 1. If you are confused about anything at all or have any questions, comments, or concerns, then plz feel free to ask/talk to me. Plz review!!!


	3. The Eclipse

Chapter 3. The Eclipse

I do not own Bleach.

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The soft flurry of snow gently buffeted the brown-haired fukuutaichou's face, as she made her way through the mostly deserted streets of Seireitei.

She was so excited about the solar eclipse that was only about ten minutes away. She rushed to the 10th division's building, afraid that she might not make it in time to meet with her friend and see the eclipse. But she was re-assured when she saw the boy leaning coolly against his division's building with his arms crossed over his chest and his hands tucked inside of his sleeves. At the sight of her friend, she quickened her pace.

" Konnichiwa, Hitsugaya-kun!" She called to him with a wave.

Suddenly, her feet were jerked from underneath her as she slipped on black ice. In an instant, the boy had reached out to catch her as she fell forward. The two of them skidded to a halt and they tried to find their balance. As Hitsugaya straightened himself up, he steadied Hinamori until she stood on her own.

"Arigato." She breathed.

"Oy, what am I going to do with you?" He fixed his ruffled shihockshou and taichou's haori. "Every day you seem to have a new way to get yourself into trouble." He sighed.

"Gomenasai." Came her soft response.

"Baka." He mumbled.

Then he turned and leapt into the air to land on the roof above, he was followed instantly by Hinamori. The two found a spot on the roof that gave them a wonderful view of the Western portion of Soul Society. It was a little while before noon, and the only sounds that were heard were the choruses of small birds, greeting a new day.

The white-haired taichou sat back, and tucked his hands into his sleeves. The brown-haired fukuutaichou at his side pulled her knees up to her chest and glanced out over Soul Society. A few moments floated by with no change in the sky.

Eventually, the two friends shifted positions so that they were now lying side-by-side flat on their backs; gazing up at the serene, blue sky.

Then, without warning, it was as if the sun had gone out. The entire world was consumed in total darkness and it had all happened so fast that most everyone was caught off guard. Hinamori jumped and let out a small squeak at the sudden change of light. Startled yells were heard from all over Soul Society.

"Geez. You'd think they had no idea it would happen." Hinamori mused. Hitsugaya felt her shift restlessly beside him.

"This is no ordinary eclipse either, this is a total eclipse."

Seemingly both having the same idea, the two of them sat up. But the lack of light caused them to knock into each other and Hinamori's hand slipped from under her. With a yelp of surprise, she began to slide off of the roof and frantically groped for a firm grip.

Hitsugaya, relying completely on instinct, darted forward and grabbed her arm only seconds before she plummeted 30 feet down to the shadows of Seireitei below. Hitsugaya hauled her back onto the rooftop and made sure that she had found her balance before he let go of her.

She caught her breath before thanking him,

"Arigato, Hitsugaya-kun."

"Funny." The white-haired boy replied sarcastically. "It seems that's the second time you've said that today." He smirked and she blushed with embarrassment. "Like I said, you always find new ways to get into trouble."

She pouted slightly, but allowed him to pull her over to lean on him.

They stayed this way for the remainder of the eclipse, cherishing each second that passed.

Gradually, the 'night during the day' began to fade away into the brightness of the sun once again. Golden rays slowly emerged from behind dark shades, and the blue heavens were uncovered once again.

It was over.

Hinamori breathed deeply and blinked as the sun returned to its rightful place in the sky. The two friends turned to each other, and smiled.

Then, the taichou stood to his feet and offered the fukuutaichou his hand. She accepted it and together, they made their ways back to the Earth below.

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The final claw morphed into a finger as the Vasto Lorde completed their transformations.

Now, fifteen 'Shinigami' stood in the cave and glanced around at one another. They were all dressed in black shihakushous, and out of the number, one stepped forward, his sickening brown-green eyes glazed with success. He now had short, ruffled black hair and the exact form of a Shinigami. He smirked and raised his voice.

"Success!" Came the noise sounding of an animal drowning in it's own blood. "Now, everyone knows their groups and which gate they will enter through?"

The others around him nodded.

"Very well," He stepped back to stand beside two other Vasto Lorde. "Now, let us go to Rukongai and carry out our plans!" With their new forms, they received the abilities of the Shinigami as well, and they all dashed from the cave entrance using shunpou.

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A/N: Lol bad ending for this chapter I know. Gomenasai! I am so sorry that it took me so long to update! I will try to be better in the futrue! Plz review!!!


	4. By Your Side

Chapter 4. By Your Side

Tite Kubo owns Bleach and therefore I do not.

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The air had grown cold and harsh by the end of the day.

The Vasto Lorde had arrived at Soul Society at the very end of that day; the eclipse had been only a few hours before. The brown-green eyes of their leader sparked with satisfaction.

"We can go now," He announced. "Get to your designated gate as fast as you can and stay with your group. Remember the name you have chosen for yourself and the names of your companions. We will all meet up at the Soukyoku on the fourth day and discuss our news. Remember, we are trying to find out who is the strongest of the Shinigami, find out his name, division, and where he lives."

"Understood." Came the unanimous reply.

"Good. My group-" he motioned to the two beside him. "Shall go through the Western gate…"

He gave out the gate that each group would enter through. "Remember, we do not have Zanpakutou, so heed my words; do _not _get caught, for you will be asked questions that you cannot answer. And do not get caught in a fight with no sword."

After the others nodded in understanding, that black-haired 'Shinigami' finished his explanation and instructions. "Very well, lets go!" In a flash, the four groups had disappeared and set out for Rukongai, and the four gates that encircled Seireitei.

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It had been two days since the eclipse, and Hinamori was unusually tired lately.

She kept waking up in the middle of the night from nightmares that something terrible was going to happen.

She had not told anyone as of yet, but she had been having such dreams for the past three nights. And two nights ago, the night of the solar eclipse, she thought that she had sensed some unfamiliar reiatsus sneaking about, but she continued to tell herself that she was simply over-reacting. But something inside of her was still uneasy, the feeling of nervousness crept throughout her body like an ant.

She wanted to tell someone about her discomfort, but she was sure that no one would have time to talk with her. The chestnut-eyed fukuutaichou sighed heavily as she sat down at her desk to file and sign paperwork.

She had almost fallen asleep from total boredom, but was roused by a knock on her door. She quickly straightened herself up and cleared her throat so she would not sound half-asleep.

"Hai?" Her voice was cracked with tiredness.

Her eyes widened in shock when the door slid open and a certain white-haired taichou stepped into the room. At the sudden sight of her friend, Hinamori immediately straightened her posture as to not be disrespectful. Hitsugaya opened his mouth to speak, but then changed his words.

"Oy, Hinamori. You look like you haven't slept in days." He stated, taking a seat on the couch in her office. She stood and walked over to the couch to sit beside him.

"W-Well, I am having trouble sleeping lately, b-but that's nothing important." She added once she saw the curiosity in his aqua eyes. But his persistence to be a good friend caused his gaze to become penetrating, forcing her to tell him what was wrong.

"W-Well," she stammered un-comfortably. "About two days ago, I thought that I sensed a bunch of un-familiar reiatsus slinking around. And whenever I tried to sleep, I always woke up because I kept getting the feeling that I was being…watched." Hitsugaya's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really?" He asked in disbelief. "That's strange, I've been having that feeling a lot lately as well." Suspicion laced his voice and his aqua eyes narrowed. "Come to think of it, I sensed some unfamiliar reiatsus as well, not too long ago. And since our divisions are as far away from each other as they are, this can't be happening in only one location."

Hinamori nodded her agreement. The 10th divisions building was in the Western part of Seireitei, while the 5th divisions was in the Southern part. Suddenly, Hinamori's eyes opened wider and she shot up from her seat. Hitsugaya jumped at her sudden movements.

"This morning, I-I thought that I overheard Nanao-san mumbling about Arrancar, Vasto Lorde in fact!" She stammered.

"Nani?" Now, he stood up beside her.

"H-Hitsugaya-kun," Her voice was trembling now. "W-W-We should t-tell someone, this could be really bad…" She trailed off into a frightened whimper.

Hitsugaya knew that she wanted absolutely nothing to do with Arrancar anymore, not after what had happened with Aizen. She was horribly terrified of her former taichou now, and shuddered at the sound of his name, for she feared he would return again, and do something terrible…

Seeing that his friend was beginning to quiver in fear of her memories, Hitsugaya placed a re-assuring hand on her shoulder.

"You'll be okay, I'm not leaving you're side. I'll warn everyone about the possible threat, and make sure that everyone keeps an eye open for anything strange."

Finally, Hinamori's breathing began to slow, and her shivering ceased as she managed to give him a small, grateful smile.

And as Hitsugaya left the room, he uttered one last sentence to her.

"Just be careful."

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A/N: Yes I know it was short, all of the chapters are short, but trust me, there will be many! And yes I know I used the line from the anime when Hitsugaya says "Just be careful."

Also, I am not exactly sure if Seireitei is the way I describe it, but I am doing my best! Please review!!!


	5. Plot Of Their Downfall

Chapter 5. Plot Of Their Downfall

I do not own Bleach (still).

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The wind blew silently as the three Arrancar slipped by the Shinigami guarding the area un-noticed.

Sickening brown-green eyes glistened slyly as he and his two companions continued to scour the Western portion of Seireitei. The leader of the Arrancar, Akuma he was called, was searching for one Shinigami in particular. He had heard much about him in the past few days and it was just his luck that he had infiltrated the section of Seireitei were he lived.

"Hitsugaya Toshiro."

He told himself the name out loud, a smirk creeping across his lips. He had heard much about the 10th division taichou. Apparently, he was only a young boy, but had been promoted to taichou almost as soon as he had entered the Gotei 13. Yet he was supposedly one of the strongest Shinigami to come around in eons.

But, he was only a boy; therefore he would be easy prey for them. All that they had to do was catch him off guard and then hold him hostage until the Shinigami either surrendered, or took some other form of meaningless action.

Akuma wondered how the other three groups were doing, for if merely one of them was found out, then it might as well be all over, and they would all have to retreat and face defeat. He did not want that to happen. This was one of their only chances to be disguised as Shinigami, and he wanted them to use their abilities wisely.

The three Arrancar, ceased running for a moment to scour the area for any Shinigami that might be around, but there was not a soul in sight. Suddenly, one of the other Arrancar nudged his companions and pointed towards a large building.

"Look there." He hissed silently.

His finger was directed at a black diamond painted on the side of the building. Inside the diamond, was the symbol that they had been searching for, the one that resembled a plus sign; 10.

The leader smiled demonically, but before they could make a move, voices were heard from down one of the alleys. Cursing silently, the three Arrancar disappeared into the shadows.

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The large white structure of the Soukyoku towered above the forms of the fifteen Arrancar. It was the fourth night of their mission, the designated time that they all met up and discussed their information. Akuma raised his head, unsanitary black hair separated scraggily in all directions.

"Now then, did any group run into trouble during their investigation of their section?" His response was a unanimous headshake from left to right. "Good." He stated with satisfactory. "Now, will everyone please share all of their information with the rest of us? Once we figure out who it is to ambush, Soul Society shall meet its downfall."

One of them stepped forward first, he looked like a snake in a shihakusou.

"Our group examined the Eastern section of Seireitei," His voice sounded like that of a mighty serpent. "The division's buildings that were in out section were the 2nd, 3rd and 4th division's, the 1st division's building lay in the center of all of Seireitei, and so we did not venture there. The 3rd division seems to have lost their taichou and seem to be weak as of right now." He stated with unsatisfactory.

"However, the only person that seemed to have any strength in that division was the fukuutaichou, Izuru Kira, I believe. The 4th division are the healers, and have no powerful looking members. All except for the taichou and fukuutaichou seemed weak, and if we were to capture one of them, I do not think that the Shinigami would surrender the King's Key for such a petty insect. The 2nd division is crawling with Special Forces members, and I do not think that any of them would be easy to take as a hostage."

The snake-like Arrancar stepped back, having finished his report. The next Arrancar that stepped forward was a female, with dark hair and strange light blue eyes.

"My group examined the Southern section of Soul Society, where the buildings of the 5th, 6th, and 7th divisions lay. The 5th division seems to currently be missing a taichou as well, just as the 3rd division is. The fukuutaichou of the 5th division seemed to be an easy target, but again, we do not think that they would surrender the key to us for such a pathetic girl.

The taichou and fukuutaichou of division 6 are far too powerful for us to ambush. From the information we have gathered, they both seem to have immense BanKai. Both the taichou and fukuutaichou of the 7th division seemed…intimidating. So, the easiest target that we found would be the fukuutaichou of squad 5, but she is so weak I do not think that she would be worth the trouble."

She finished her report and took a few paces back. Akuma told his story next. He told the others that there was only one Shinigami in the Western part of Seireitei that interested him.

"I thought that the 8th division's fukuutaichou would be good, but her taichou is always with her, so that eliminates that squad. The 9th division is also lacking a taichou, but the fukuutaichou is none other than the famous Hisagi Shuuhei, who we all know is not to be taken lightly."

The Arrancar shivered at the name of one of the powerful men who had slaughtered their kin many years ago.

"The one who interests me is 10th division's taichou. He is young and always seems to isolate himself from all others, except one girl. His fukuutaichou is always around someone else, so she is not an option either. But this boy is one of the most powerful Shinigami in centuries; he is a genius and would be far too valuable for Yamamoto to loose. And since he is only a boy, all that we have to do is catch him off guard."

The others nodded in agreement, as the last member stepped forward, his brown hair not matching in the slightest with his vulgar, bright orange eyes.

"Our group inspected the Northern part of Seireitei. Squads 11, 12 and 13 resign there. The 11th division is out of the question, for their taichou is Zaraki, and he would not let us anywhere near that pink-haired girl on his shoulders. The 12th division always kept to the shadows, and always seemed to be concocting experiments, so we naturally avoided them. The 13th squad has an ill taichou, but he had two Shinigami constantly following him around and bickering. Since none of the three are ever alone, an ambush would be useless."

Akuma thought over all of the information for a moment, and then spoke up.

"Then it seems that the only two actual possible options are this Izuru person, and the boy prodigy, Hitsugaya Toshiro." Then, the snake-like Arrancar who had examined the 3rd squad spoke.

"This Izuru, he seemed to always have someone around him though. He is always either talking or training, so we could never catch him off guard." After a few more moments of discussion, Akuma raised his head and announced.

"Very well then, if we have all agreed, then the one we shall go after is the 10th division taichou, Hitsugaya Toshiro."

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A/N: I am not sure if this is the actual layout of Soul Society so...yeah. Plz do not flame me for not knowing how it goes

Once again, I apoligize for the lack of HitsuHina, but mark my words 'I promise to make up for it'!!

FYI : Akuma means demon.


	6. The Ambush

Chapter 6. The Ambush

I do not own Bleach gosh darn it!

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Hinamori glanced out of the window and almost fell off of the couch.

"Oh my goodness! Look how late it's gotten! I should be going Hitsugaya-kun!"

She stared at the blackening sky once more; the purple stars glittered slightly and shone a faint light on the world beneath them. She had stopped by to visit Hitsugaya and discuss the strange reiatsus that they had been sensing. He had said that no one else had felt such reiatsus, and her information for him had been the same. No one in her district had felt those reiatsus either.

"Fine." Hitsugaya said reluctantly. "But I don't want you going alone, because even if no one else sensed those reiatsus, I'm one hundred percent sure that I felt them. And I think that they're still around here, but I can't tell where. I'm coming with you."

Hinamori nodded. She did not want to trouble her friend into accompanying her, but she could not help but feel insecure. The two left the 10th division's building and began to walk through the deserted streets of Seireitei, hardly able to see from the dim light that ignited from the thin slice of moon.

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"Lets just attack now Akuma! We could easily take out that girl! And he doesn't even have his Zanpakutou with him!" One of the Arrancar hissed through the shadows to Akuma.

"Patience." The leader replied. "We will wait a few more moments, and if the girl has not left by then, we shall attack." The shadows flickered slightly as the fifteen Arrancar darted stealthily after the boy and the girl as they began to walk away.

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Hinamori suddenly stopped walking and turned around. Hitsugaya realized that she was no longer beside him and he too stopped and turned.

"Oy, doushita Hinamori?" He saw her staring into the shadows behind them, and when she did not respond he started to worry. "Hinamori?" The girl snapped out of her trance and turned back to him.

"Gomenasai." She apologized. "I-I just thought that I heard something."

With one last worried glance over her shoulder, she turned back to the white-haired taichou and continued the walk beside him. But he noticed that she kept stealing glances over her shoulder, and he moved a bit closer to her.

Then, without warning, Hinamori stopped dead again and looked around frantically, her heart pounding. When Hitsugaya glanced the total nervousness and horror in her eyes, fear began to creep down his spine like a raindrop.

"What is it?" He asked worriedly. She hesitated a moment before responding shakily.

"I-I swear that they're near. I-I-I could swear that I-I felt those strange reiatsus again. T-They seem like they're near to here, a-and they want to kill. They're going to kill us Hitsugaya-kun…"

Her voice faded into a hardly audible whisper. Fear swelled throughout her body, clutching her heart and causing her entire body to shudder. Hitsugaya's eyes widened in fear, not only at the things that she had said, but also at the fact that her eyes were loosing their lively shimmer. The chestnut eyes that he had come to know to be beaming were now dimming, the light fading slowly as if she were being hypnotized.

"Hinamori!" His shout was laced with uneasiness and worry.

But the sound of her name seemed to snap her back into reality. The light returned to her eyes, but the fear hidden there still remained. She wanted to run, as fast as she could and as far away as she could, but her feet would not allow her to do so. Terror overcame her and cemented her to the spot.

Hitsugaya did not know what to do, panic-stricken, he tried to follow her empty gaze. But as complete fear conquered his body as well, he saw a sudden flash from the shadows, faster than a bolt of lightning. Several dark figures dashed forward towards the two un-suspecting Shinigami. But the majority of them were headed towards the aqua-eyed boy. Hinamori broke free from her frozen state of terror.

"LOOK OUT!!!" She screeched, and at the very last second, she shoved her friend out of the way.

Hitsugaya was forced backwards and almost lost his balance, than he gasped as he saw the scene before him. About fourteen dark shapes had surrounded the two of them, but one leapt forward from the rest. An ambush!

They appeared to be Shinigami, but Hitsugaya could tell that they were not only Arrancar, but Vasto Lorde, the only kind that could take on human-like forms. The one that darted forward stretched forward and clamped his fingers around Hinamori's throat. The force of his jump forced her backwards, and her body smashed sickeningly into one of the walls surrounding them.

"HINAMORI!" Hitsugaya shouted.

The Arrancar released his grip on her throat and stepped back to face him, a smile on his face, as if he took pleasure in his actions.

Hinamori's body fell limply to the ground. Rage surged throughout Hitsugaya's entire being, and an icy aura emitted off of him. Freezing winds surrounded the area, and mist gathered into thick, invisible clouds around them.

"Don't touch her…" He growled, his voice becoming low and scratchy, like the growl of a lion.

"Oh-ho!" The lead Arrancar taunted. "It seems that you don't like it when I injure _her_." He smirked.

His voice reminded Hitsugaya of an animal that had gotten it's throat sliced open, and was drowning in it's own blood. Hitsugaya's teeth were clenched together, but he felt as though they were turning into fangs. The ends sharpened like icicles, and he felt ice creep over his hands and feet, as if he were fighting alongside Hyorinmaru, although his Zanpakutou was not with him.

The shapes around them remained motionless, not having been given the orders to move. The leader of the Arrancar took another step closer to Hitsugaya.

"Hitsugaya taichou, is it? I have a deal for you."

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A/N: Here starts the HitsuHina stuff and it shall continue for many chapters to come!!

FYI :

Doushita means 'What's wrong?'

Gomen / Gomenasai means 'sorry' or 'I'm sorry'.


	7. Replacement In Death

Chapter 7. Replacement In Death

I do not own Bleach, Tite Kubo does.

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The disgusting brown-green eyes were filled with amusement as they met the flaming aqua ones.

Hitsugaya could still feel the ice creeping along his ankles and wrists, slowly forming claws at the end of each finger and toe. But this went un-noticed by the Arrancar standing over the body of a brown-haired girl.

"What sort of _deal?_" Hitsugaya spat, enraged. The smile remained on the false Shinigami's face as he replied.

"Oh, it's nothing much, just that you come with us, and _she_ won't get hurt." He motioned to the girl at his feet, blood slowly spilling from places where the broken concrete wall had cut her flesh. Hitsugaya's eyes went round.

"Nani?"

The Arrancar did not move, he stood silently, waiting for the boy's reply.

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Hinamori attempted to lift her head from the ground, trying to see past the blood dripping down her face and over her eyes.

She had heard what had been said, and she was not going to let her best friend sacrifice himself, just so that _her_ life might be spared. Very slowly, she pushed herself up from the ground, none of them had noticed, for all of the Arrancar had their eyes fixed on Hitsugaya, waiting for his answer.

Hinamori soundlessly stood to her feet, Hitsugaya's mouth dropped slightly when he noticed her, and his eyes shouted silently for her to stay put, and stay out of this. But she ignored his silent pleas and crept forward to stand inches away from the lead Arrancar.

Still, none of the others noticed.

She was going to sacrifice herself for him. But at the last second, Hitsugaya burst out.

"Hinamori, NO!"

At that very instant, the Arrancar spun around, but Hinamori was faster. With all of the strength left in her frail body, she landed a hard, and very direct blow on him. She punched his face in as hard as she could, than followed up with a forceful roundhouse kick.

As quickly as her bloody feet could allow her to, she dashed past Hitsugaya and grabbed his arm, pulling him the opposite way as the Arrancar realized what had happened. Their angry shouts and howls could be heard miles away, and Hinamori hoped that soon, very soon, someone else would come out to help them.

But before anything else could possibly occur, Hitsugaya felt Hinamori's grip on his arm vanish. The lead Arrancar had leapt after them, and he now pinned Hinamori against the wall again, his fingers firmly closed around her throat.

"Hinamori!!" Hitsugaya's worried and infuriated voice echoed throughout the empty streets.

"I've had _quite _enough of you girl!"

The Arrancar sneered, his teeth clenched. More blood fell from her body, as broken shards of concrete sliced her skin. He pushed her back into the wall further, tightening his grasp on her throat. The only thing that Hitsugaya could hear now, was the choking and panting of his friend as she struggled desperately to gasp in precious air. Her eyes closed and her hands quivered feebly as she tried to free herself.

But it was no use; Akuma did not intend to loosen his grip until he saw her dead.

Hitsugaya's fangs of icicles hardened and mist emitted from his mouth as his frosted breath growled from his throat. The icy claws on his hands and ankles formed firmly once again, and suddenly it was as of he had his Zanpakutou with him and he was using his BanKai. Two immense, ice blue wings crackled and unfolded from his back, pieces of ice flew off in all directions, and showered down on all of the Arrancar. Small pieces of ice came together to form larger ones, winding and twisting around each other to form a long, mighty tail. His once aqua eyes darkened a few shades until they were a dark, indescribable blue.

"GET YOUR HANDS _OFF_ OF HER!" He roared.

His wings lifted him up from the ground as he soared through the cold air, aiming his claws at the Arrancar depriving his friend of life. But the other fourteen jumped in front of him to defend their leader.

Their mistake.

Hitsugaya whirled around and let his tail smash four of them into the wall, crushing their bones and causing them to fall lifelessly to the ground, spattered in blood. Hitsugaya landed on the ground, and folded his wings for the time being, his eyes daring the others to challenge him, the blood of their comrades dripping off of his tail. The eyes of all of the remaining Arrancar tripled in size.

"Nani?" The leader spoke aloud. "When did he get so much power?"

Fear filled the eyes of the remaining ten Arrancar that had been left to defend their leader. Hitsugaya turned on them, lashing out with his long, thick claws. Blood spluttered all over the ground as another Arrancar fell dead.

Then, they were upon him, trying to circle him and cut off his escape routes. But they failed to remember his wings.

Un-curling his powerful wings once more, Hitsugaya's mouth opened in a roar. He crashed his left wing into the wall on his left, and his right wing to the wall on his right. One Arrancar on either side of him fell. Once more, he thrust his claws forward striking another, all the while Akuma watched in fear, yet his hands un-consciously still kept their tight grip on the dying girl's throat.

Twisting around again, Hitsugaya managed to bring down another enemy, the remaining five being lucky enough to dodge; this time. Finally, Akuma snapped back into reality, and called out for his remaining forces to retreat.

"Withdraw! We shall take the girl instead! Open the portal, now!"

The five Arrancar stopped circling immediately and leapt onto the roofs where they hoped to open the portal back to Hueco Mundo. Hitsugaya almost went after them, but then saw his chance to get at the leader.

He flew forward and gaped his jaws in a furiously enraged roar. He reached out, aiming his claws at the Arrancar. But seconds too late, Hitsugaya's blow struck empty air, all six remaining Arrancar were disappearing into the portal. Hitsugaya's eyes flared as he saw Hinamori's limp form in the hands of the Arrancar.

"This girl shall be your replacement and take your death for you. You should be grateful, Hitsugaya taichou. Have Soul Society surrender the King's Key to us. If they refuse, then tell everyone that they can expect the same fate that your friend will receive. Farewell, for now, but know this, I will not easily forgive what you did to my fellow Arrancar. Let us see how you feel when you loose someone dear to _you_."

His final sneer evaporated into an eerie whisper, as the portal closed behind him. Then, only one furious echo exploded from Seireitei.

"HINAMORI!!!!!"

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A/N: Finally thr plot progresses! Oh and just so you all know, when Hitsugaya gains the wings, claws, tail and all that, it is basically his BanKai without his Zanpakutou.

Okay, just for those of you who did not know, I will explain the underlined words roundhouse kick. A roundhouse kick is just a kick where you turn your hips and kick on an angle. It is really powerful and since Hinamori did not have her Zanpakutou with her, I just threw in a little bit of Tae Kwon Do : )


	8. Into The Shadows

Chapter 8. Into The Shadows

I do not own Bleach.

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Hitsugaya was seated at one of the many tables at the Central 46 Cambers.

Matsumoto sat beside him, her eyes un-moving and fixed on Yamamoto. All of the other taichou's had their fukuutaichous with them as well. Yamamoto sat in the front facing the rest of them, waiting for the shocked murmurs to die away. Then, he directed his gaze to Hitsugaya.

"Now then, Hitsugaya taichou, would you please tell the rest of us the story of what happened last night?" Hitsugaya stood to his feet so that all could see him and spoke loud so that all could hear.

"Hinamori and I had felt many strange reiatsus lately, but when we asked others, they replied that they had felt no such spiritual pressures. So, thinking it was just our imaginations, we kept our mouths shut. But then, last night…"

He told the story of how the Vasto Lorde had ambushed and surrounded the two of them. He gave descriptions of all that he could remember out of the six that had fled the scene alive. Nine of the Arrancar had fallen in battle with Hitsugaya. The taichou then recalled the words of the lead Vasto Lorde.

"He said that he wants the King's Key surrendered to them. I don't know how he will know, but he said that once we had agreed to this deal, that he would come and take it. My guess is that he doesn't know where it is being kept, and wants us to bring it out into the open for him."

Hitsugaya finished, but remained standing, knowing that Yamamoto would probably throw questions at him. Hushed murmurs of surprise and shock escaped most of the surrounding taichous and their subordinates. Then, Yamamoto's voice rang out above all others.

"And what if we refuse this offer?" He directed the question at the 10th division taichou.

"He said that if we refused, then the same fate that befell Hinamori, would befall us as well." Hitsugaya replied. He wished that Yamamoto not ask the next question he knew to be coming.

But he did.

"And just what became of Hinamori fukuutaichou?" He questioned slowly. Hitsugaya hesitated a moment, trying to think of the right words to say.

"They have taken her back to Hueco Mundo, where they will most likely kill her."

He forced the painful sentence out of his mouth, aware of a small gasp from Matsumoto. The eyes of some of the surrounding Shinigami widened, while some remained as they were, not really caring for the news. Yamamoto did not seem phased either, for he did not look shocked or worried. He simply sat there and waited for the murmurs to die once again. Then he raised his voice.

"Well, I hope they do know that they are _not_ getting their filthy hands on the King's Key, not matter what they do or say! No threats or kidnappings can change this fact."

There was no regret in his voice as he spoke. Didn't he obviously know that he was saying that he would willingly let Hinamori die?

A small flame of anger flickered inside Hitsugaya, and apparently inside Matsumoto as well. Her eyes flared with silent rage but she remained quiet, not letting her feelings get the better of her. But Hitsugaya could not contain his temper as well as she could. He chose the words of his next sentence carefully.

"Pardon, but you are aware that they are planning to kill Hinamori?" He asked slowly. Yamamoto narrowed his eyes, and tension filled the room at the General Commander's reply to the question.

"I am quite aware of that fact Hitsugaya taichou, but we cannot afford any distractions or regrets if there is to be a war between Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. I am sorry, but we must dispose of any hopes to save Hinamori fukuutaichou."

Another eerie silence gripped the Central 46 Chambers. Un-easiness and anxiety prickled the air like static.

_He's basically saying that he's going to abandon her. _

Matsumoto shared Hitsugaya's thoughts. Then, Hitsugaya's voice rang out through the silence of the room.

"I ask permission to go out and rescue Hinamori."

Yamamoto sighed.

"I knew that you would ask such a question." After yet another moment of silence, the gathered Shinigami mumbled to one another, guessing at what the answer would be. Some remained silent, un-willing to show their emotions.

Finally, Yamamoto gave his reply.

"Permission denied."

No one made a sound. It seemed as though eternities passed by in the moments of silence that followed. Then, Yamamoto went on.

"Soul Society is a place of peace and balance, where souls can finally relax and rest. It is like the sun, the source of energy for all souls that have passed away. Hueco Mundo is a place of shadows; it is unpredictable and evil, the complete opposite of Soul Society. I refuse to let one of our strongest taichous risk his life for a replaceble girl. I regret not being able to save Hinamori fukuutaichou, but there are many others to take her place. You however, Hitsugaya taichou, are a prodigy, only to come along once in a million lifetimes. If you were to go after her, than you would be leaving the security of the sun, and stepping into the shadows. I will not loose _you _for _her_."

He finished his speech matter-of-factly, making it sound as though Hinamori was an insignificant burden. Indescribable rage seared throughout Hitsugaya's entire being. Matsumoto stared disbelievingly at the Commander, distrust and fury corrupting her once pure blue gaze. But most of the others gathered in the room did not seemed surprised at his decision. Yamamoto raised his voice once more.

"This meeting is over, dismissed."

Hitsugaya reached the doors first, but he turned on them all and spat one last furious statement at them.

"Well, if what you say is true, "

The others had their eyes fixed on him, but Hitsugaya stared directly at Yamamoto.

"I would much rather step into the shadows,"

He turned away from them all,

"Then burn in the sun."

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A/N: I HATE Yamamoto!! And not only in this FanFiction, but the anime too.

Reviews make me happy!!!


	9. Facing The Impossible

Chapter 9. Facing The Impossible

I (still) do not own Bleach...yet.

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Sand swirled past Hitsugaya's face as he raced through the endless wasteland that was Hueco Mundo.

He had left Soul Society, not caring what the others did; _he _was going to find her, no matter what.

He had left Matsumoto in charge, putting his utmost trust in his fukuutaichou while he was away. He had brought his Zanpakutou with him, although he did not know if the dragon could assist him in any way. He could only use Hyorinmaru's abilities if there was water nearby, but in the desert place of Hueco Mundo, he was at a disadvantage.

A major one.

He did not know if he could defeat all of the remaining Vasto Lorde by himself, and without the aid of his Zanpakutou, that only made matters worse. What if he failed to call forth his own powers again, he might have beaten them with claws and wings once, but could he do it again?

And, he did not know if there were more Arrancar waiting for him then the six that he had let escape. And not only Arrancar could be blocking his path, but Hollow as well. Hitsugaya's feet sank into the dry sand, and as he ran along, dust and powdered dirt flew up from behind him. The tornado-like winds blasted him with hard pebbles of grain and silt, but Hitsugaya pushed forward.

He kept his mouth closed so that it would not become even dryer than it already was, his thirst for water driving him wild. He could make it rain, but that would take up far too much energy that, at the time, he could not afford to spare.

He had lived around ice his entire life, and now, to be suddenly cut off from the cold, refreshing presence of water was almost more than he could handle.

But he carried on, he would not give up, he would _never_ give up.

He was going to find her, no matter what.

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Akuma paced the cave, irritated, the gloomy light filtered through the hole in the center of the cave ceiling.

Only he, and five of the others had made it back. Tonight would be the night that they transformed back into their true forms; they had failed. They did not have possession of the King's Key, but they could still rid Soul Society of some Shinigami.

"Akuma." The female Arrancar with the dark hair spoke up.

"What is it Rei?" Akuma spat tartly.

"Just what are you planning to do? With _her_ I mean." Rei motioned to the crumpled form of the girl on the floor, in the corner of the cave. Akuma smirked.

"Since we were un-successful in stealing the King's Key, I plan to satisfy everyone but getting rid of two Shinigami."

"Two?" Rei looked puzzled, her un-usual blue eyes questioning him.

"Hai. You see, I plan to lure the white-haired boy here, using the girl as bait. Then, I plan to let the five of you take your revenge and kill him. There is no way that he can win, not _here_, in Hueco Mundo. There is no way for him to obtain powers such as he did before. There is no ice here, _we _have the advantage now, this is our territory. The boy faces the impossible in thinking that he can save her, _and_ make it out if here alive."

He finished his explanation. Rei nodded in understanding. The other four Arrancar were gathered around the cave, all different colored eyes flared with satisfaction.

"Hai! We shall take revenge for our kin!" Bright orange eyes glittered with anger and determination.

Hisses of agreement echoed throughout the cave, Akuma smiled in triumph, and glanced at the half-dead Shinigami, lying limply in the shadows. He could detect the faint scent of blood drifting off of her, and he could not stop himself from salivating a little.

The blood of Shinigami never ceased to please him. He loved to see it spilling, pouring from their lifeless bodies, and if he were correct, then he would be seeing quite a lot of it in a matter of hours.

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The light of the half-moon still flooded through the top of the cavern, causing the shadows to mutate until they slowly disintegrated into pale shades.

It was the night of the seventh day; their time as Shinigami was up.

As the dreary light poured down onto the dark figures, they slowly began to take their original forms once again. The black Shinigami shihakushous melted into the rough, lanky skin of the Arrancar. Fingers shaped themselves into claws and teeth mutated into fangs. Although they kept the same human-like size, they looked like ghouls from Halloween ghost stories.

As the light finally began to become dimmer, all six Vasto Lorde re-took their forms. Akuma stood in the center of the ring of his followers; his brown-green eyes met those of the creatures around him.

"We have failed," He announced plainly to them all. However, his voice hid no repentance or apology to his loyal assembly.

"But, even though we must wait a long while until we can try again, we _will_ get another chance. And, we can live with the knowledge that we have effectively slaughtered some of the Shinigami whom we detest so greatly." One of the Arrancar at the edge of the cave set his marshy yellow eyes on his neighbor.

"He shouldn't be saying things before they actually _happen_." He hissed. The other nodded, his red eyes glittering with uncertainty. But Akuma seemed quite sure of himself as he continued.

"I have faith in all of you, and trust that we can annihilate those two pitiful _things_."

He sputtered the last word with disgust and loathing.

"As I told Rei earlier, we have the advantage over him here. There is no water, and thus, no ice. So he will not be able to pull off that little trick again." He recalled the ice dragon that had killed off nine of his supporters.

"He will be weaker now, and the fact that he will be trying to rescue the girl will cause him to be even more distracted."

The yellow and red eyes of the two Arrancar that had been doubtful before, were now glistening with victory, as if the white-haired boy was already dead. Six pairs of eyes, white, blue, yellow, orange, red and brown-green sparkled like dewdrops, knowing that the awaiting battle had already been won. As they all howled their pre-conquest to the shimmering stars above, Akuma encouraged his forces with one last statement.

"He'll never know what hit him."

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A/N: I know I know bad chapter (again). And I'm sorry they are so short. But really, I would like to thank every one of you who reviews my stories, I REALLY appreciate it!! Thank you all so much for your support becasuse without all of you, I never could have written half of these stories! Arigatou!!!


	10. The Battle Begins

Chapter 10. The Battle Begins

I am getting really tired of saying it because I do

NOT OWN BLEACH!

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Hitsugaya soared over the endless stretches of sand, a never-ending ocean.

He was using his fastest shunpo, thankful that the twister had ceased, for now. He had spotted a wide, mountain-like rock jutting out in the middle of his path. He had latched the image into his mind as a possible landmark.

Guided by the vile stench of the Arrancar, and the faint presence of Hinamori's reiatsu, Hitsugaya took advantage of the clean air at the current time. Now that the wind had stopped wafting around like a pool of rapids, it was much easier for him to trace the scent, and it was simpler to detect her spiritual pressure.

Ahead of him, Hitsugaya could see that the desert melted away into mountains, large boulders dotted the rock face. Suddenly, Hitsugaya was thrust backwards as the heavy winds picked up once again, but not because of the tornados this time.

Instead of the fury of the storm, he found himself face-to-face with a towering, Menos Grande.

"Damn it." Hitsugaya cursed, rising to his feet. "I don't have time for this!"

As the white-masked demon sucked in air, a red light began to glow around its mouth which could only mean one thing; cero.

As the lightning-fast attack was released, Hitsugaya dodged and leapt into the air, unsheathing his sword and bringing it down to effortlessly slay his foe. The low-level Gillian disintegrated into thin air, and became nothing more then a part of the atmosphere.

Hitsugaya dashed away towards the mountains, still sensing the faint spiritual pressure of his friend. Unfortunately, the release of his Zanpakutou from its sheath drew more Hollow to him like moths to the flame. Now, he was surrounded by at least twenty of them, and more seemed to creep forward out of nowhere. All types of Hollow and Arrancar alike suddenly appeared before him as if it were a nightmare.

"Damn!" Hitsugaya positioned his sword in a battle-ready stance.

He did not intend to release his ShiKai, let alone BanKai, but even so, he was going to save Hinamori, no matter what it took.

He jumped into the sandy air, aiming blows with his Zanpakutou wherever his eyes fell upon an enemy. Roars caterwauled through all of Hueco Mundo as the creatures went down and then dissolved into nothing.

But it seemed that for every one that the aqua-eyed taichou killed, two more took its place. He flew into the air once again, slicing any part that he could of the Hollow in front of him, blocking his path.

"You damn bastards! Get _out _of my way!"

He spun around, his blade piercing the rough flesh of many of the surrounding demonic spirits. Blood covered the ground, causing the ocean of sand to run red. However, Hitsugaya was fueled by so much anger and determination, that not a single drop of the blood that was spilled belonged to him.

He was too enraged to loose to _these_ pathetic things, dodging swiftly and striking before they had a chance to react. They were hardly opponents, more like warm-ups for him for when he arrived at his destination and faced his true rivals.

Finally, the last of the Hollow disappeared and became one with the passing winds. Hitsugaya stood panting, the blood of his enemies dripping blissfully off of his blade. He raised his head and glanced towards the mountains; he was drawing nearer.

Gathering up his stamina and speed yet again, Hitsugaya raced away through the ocean of sand, kicking up drops of blood as he ran.

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Akuma stood in the center of the cave and gave orders to the others, telling them where to go to get into position.

The howls of the other Hollow far off in the distance was enough to tell them that he was near. The other five Vasto Lorde slid into the shadows near the cave entrance, ready to spring at the intruder if he got past the others.

Akuma dragged the body of the girl to the center of the path, so that when he came in, the boy would see her, thus giving them the element of surprise for the attack.

The brown-green-eyed leader of the Arrancar was surprised to find out that she was still breathing, but then he realized that that would aid _their_ side in the upcoming fight. If the taichou boy was distracted in trying to keep her safe, then he would be easier to deceive and trick. Whereas, if she was dead, he could just turn back and give up without a fight, thus not letting the Arrancar take their well-deserved revenge.

"No matter," Akuma told himself. "Once I'm through with the two of you, neither of you will be breathing anymore."

He roughly threw her form to the ground, blood once again beginning to ooze from her broken body. Then, a warning cry echoed through the cave; he was here. Akuma quickly ducked into the shadows, keeping an eye on the girl.

Then, the entire cavern was filled with a freezing gust of wind; it was so cold that icicles started to form on the rocks almost automatically. But the hidden Vasto Lorde stayed where they were, not being signaled to move by their leader. All was eerily quiet, until a low voice shook the pebbles loose from the cave's ceiling.

"_Where is she?_"

There was no answer to his question, but then he went on, his voice was menacingly low.

"I know you're there! You can't hide from me! Get out here and face me!" He roared.

"With pleasure." Akuma's voice echoed throughout the cave. In an instant, the others were upon the intruder, but what they were not aware of, was the fact that Hitsugaya had his sword already drawn.

He was outnumbered, but not outmatched.

He could just barely make out the figures of his opponents, flying at him from all sides. Picking out the closest one, he sprang into the air and brought down his Zanpakutou, but the Arrancar dodged, leaving him cutting off rock from the cave.

Bright orange eyes danced with amusement, at his enemy's unfortunate luck and turned around to attack, but Hitsugaya kicked off of the wall of the cave, and as quick as a striking serpent, delivered a devastating blow, killing the Arrancar instantly. Then, he turned to the five, shocked remaining Vasto Lorde.

"Now you know,"

He growled.

"That I'm serious."

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A/N: The fight will become more intense in the following chapters!! Plz review!!


	11. Fury Of The Fight

Chapter 11. Fury Of The Fight

I do not own Bleach

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The shadows great darkness crept in even greater.

The once bright, disgusting, orange eyes of the Arrancar were now clouded and dim, blood oozing from his body. Hitsugaya stood with his Zanpakutou in his hands, ready to take on the next opponent. As four of the other Arrancar came forward, one stayed behind. Hitsugaya glared at him with shock; it was the leader.

"Coward!" He shouted. "You're just going to stand there and let your subordinates die?"

No matter who it was, Hitsugaya could simply not tolerate tyranny such as letting ones people fight _for _them. But Hitsugaya was forced away from his anger for the moment, because the four Vasto Lorde were surrounding him, and just like that, they were gone.

Their bodies melted and blended together with the darkness, obscuring his vision. Then all of a sudden, the four of them launched themselves from the ceilings and walls from all sides. Hitsugaya managed to dodge all but one, who came lunging at him, claws extended to gauge a gapping wound in his shoulder.

Blood spattered the ground of the cave, and Hitsugaya staggered a bit, but remained on his feet. Then, he was suddenly aware of how strong the scent of blood was, not only his, but someone else's…

His thoughts were cut off suddenly, when another Arrancar charged forward, and Hitsugaya only just managed to dodge.

"Bastards!" He yowled. "Where is she?!"

His anger was beginning to show itself, his eyes clouded, and a freezing wind blasted throughout the cave. When he received no answer, he felt his teeth begin to sharpen, ice crept along his arms and down to his fingertips, forming claws. Layers of ice piled atop one another to form a long, thick tail once again, and powerful wings began to pound the air as they unfurled.

The eyes of the remaining five Vasto Lorde widened in fear, but determination and hatred soon overlapped that fear. Four of them charged, but Akuma stayed put, rooted to the spot. There was not much room in the cave now, so it was harder for Hitsugaya to dodge.

Two of them darted behind him, while the other to faced him. But he knew better then to only concentrate only on what was in front of him. He lashed out with his left hand, and swung his sword with his right, gaining just enough speed to have the two in front jump back a few bounds. At that instant, Hitsugaya turned on the Arrancar that had slipped behind him and twisted in a complete circle, swiping his tail around the whole of the cavern.

Satisfaction lit up in his eyes as he felt his tail connect with the body of an Arrancar. As he turned to see his progress, blood rained down on all of them as the body of his enemy went flying through the air, and then smashed into the rock wall of the cave with a sickening, cracking sound. Then the corpse fell to the ground with a nauseating noise.

They all knew that they were defeated, but when they died, they wanted to take at least one Shinigami along with them. The remaining three glanced at their leader, who nodded and then the three of them took off once again and headed towards Hitsugaya, but this time, Akuma slipped away through the shadows, to the corner on the opposite side of the cave.

The cries and roars continued to echo eerily throughout the cave behind him. Finally, Akuma grabbed the disheveled shihakushou of the girl that they had taken along with them. He dragged her body back to the scene, only to find that two other of the Arrancar had been killed; now only Rei remained.

Akuma threw the girl's body to the ground, and shouted at the half-dragon boy.

"Oy! Is _this_ what you're looking for?" He called over the sounds of shattering and crumbling rock and ice that had come tumbling down from the walls during the battle. Hitsugaya's eyes widened when he saw the mangled form of Hinamori, lying frighteningly still on the ground of the cave.

"Don't you dare touch her." Hitsugaya warned, more winds enveloping the cave. Akuma signaled to Rei to retreat, and without hesitation, she leapt back, and out of Hitsugaya's reach.

He growled, but stayed where he was, his dark blue eyes locked on Akuma.

"When I leave this world," Akuma announced. "I'm going to take at least _one_ Shinigami along with me. It obviously won't be you, so I have no choice but to take _her_." The voice that sounded of an animal drowning in its own blood echoed around the cave once more, the words bouncing back against themselves.

"I said, _don't touch her._"

Hitsugaya was trying to remain calm, but is fury was getting the better of him. More rage filled him as Akuma deliberately kicked the girl a few feet across the cave.

"BASTARD!" Hitsugaya snarled.

He lunged forward, but Akuma's speed was too great for his own in the darkness. There was no sun in Hueco Mundo, here it was eternal night, and this fact only added to Hitsugaya's dismay. But despite his disability to see clearly, completely relying on instinct, Hitsugaya shot through the cold air and stabbed his Zanpakutou through the body of one of the two Arrancar, although he was not sure if the shallow blow would kill it.

What he did know, however, was that a spurt of blood had flown up into the air, causing him to blink his eyes for a moment. When he re-opened them, the cave was completely in shadows, he could smell blood, his own, the enemy's, and Hinamori's.

Darkness flooded his vision, but his current state of blindness caused his other senses to perk up. His sense of smell was enhanced, as was his ability to touch. His wingtips brushed against the walls of the cave, guiding him and telling him how far away he was from the side of the cave. His ears also let him here the next statement quite clearly.

"You're in _our_ territory now boy. Both you and the girl are going to die here..."

The echo came from all around him, but Hitsugaya did not care about the fact that he had no idea as to where his enemies were. His only concern was the last sentence that the Arrancar spoke. He could not see, more importantly, he could not see _her_.

_Where is she?_

Suddenly, realization stabbed him and he spun to the direction in which the source of the voice had come from, he could smell her blood...

"Hinamori!"

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A/N: Here is this chapter! More action and suspense will come in the ones to follow. Please review! It is what encourages me to post the next chapter each time : ) Thanks so much, you all rock!!


	12. The Spell Of Death

Chapter 12. The Spell Of Death

I so do not own Bleach!

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Akuma stood over Hinamori's body, blood slowly trickling from her crumpled form.

Hitsugaya guided his gaze to where he thought the Vasto Lorde would be standing, knowing that Hinamori would be there as well. He curled his icy talons into a fist, gripping the hilt of his sword, his fangs bared in a menacing growl.

He shot forward to where the faint outline of the Arrancar stood, the blade of his Zanpakutou stretched forward, ready to make contact and tear flesh. But being able to see in the dark, the Vasto Lorde dodged easily, leaving Hitsugaya to strike the rocky wall of the cave. But at least now he was near Hinamori, and now he would be able to protect her.

He could smell her blood, and his tail brushed her shihakushou ever so slightly. He heard the echo of a snicker, and made out the blurred shapes of the two Arrancar.

_How am I going to win this battle?_

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Warm blood dripped over Hinamori's eyes as she attempted to stand.

She tried to push herself up, but her weak arms gave in beneath her. Everything was dark; she could hardly see anything, only the outlines of shapes and shadows. She was aware of a cold tail, hovering protectively over her, wings shielded her from unseen enemies.

"Hitsugaya…kun."

Her voice was barely an audible whisper and she knew that he did not hear her. She kept still, not moving and not making any more sound and she almost stopped breathing altogether. She heard the overlapping echoes seep into the air throughout the cave.

"Don't touch her." Hitsugaya was growling.

She then heard a curt, taunting laugh, followed by a familiar voice that made her shiver.

"Well, well, it seems that we have a bit of a problem. Rei, now is the time, I want you to use your spell on that girl."

Hinamori's blood ran cold at the words, and she could sense Hitsugaya tense. He stayed where he was however, not daring to leave her side. He shifted; making sure that his wings completely shielded her.

A few soft mumbles of some form of incantation were spoken from the lips of the female Arrancar, and in the meantime, Hinamori managed to maintain a kneeling position.

But before she knew any more, she realized her breath shortening, and her heartbeat almost ceasing altogether.

A desperate gasp escaped her body.

"Hitsugaya-kun!"

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Hitsugaya whipped around at the sound of his name, and her voice. He could barely see Hinamori kneeling behind him; her hands were raised to her throat in a movement suggesting that she could not breathe.

"…H-Hitsugaya…kun…h-help me…" She gasped.

She spoke quickly her breath was short and rapid. He could see the gleaming of her eyes, they were filled with terror and pleading; her once peaceful chestnut eyes were corrupted by emotions of helplessness and fear. He clenched his teeth.

"You bastards! What did you do to her?!" He spat.

He heard them both snicker again, and almost lunged forward to kill them, but he would stay put until he found out how to help Hinamori.

"Its just a little spell."

The voice sounding of a dying animal rang through Hitsugaya's ears. Anger flared inside of him, and his grip on his sword tightened. The Arrancar went on,

"Rei here has a special ability that allows her to block her victims breathing, as you can clearly see. That girl has maybe half an hour at best before she suffocates."

He laughed cruelly. Hitsugaya's eyes widened, but he tried to stay calm, worrying was not going to help him at all.

"You bastards. How do I undo it? Tell me!" He shouted.

There was a pause, but then Akuma responded.

"The only way for you to cancel the spell is if the caster and all same-level Arrancar within 10 yards of them are killed in the amount of time before the victim dies. Meaning that every other Arrancar that is a Vasto Lorde in 10 yards from here must be destroyed. In other words, you have half an hour to kill both Rei and myself. This little trick is most commonly known as 'The Spell of Death', because no one has ever exceeded in disabling it. Everyone that has been hit with this technique in the past has died, and this time, it will be no different."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes into slits like a cat's, anger clouding his once aqua eyes. He lifted his wings and took off at top speed towards the two partners.

"DAMN YOU TO HELL!" The white-haired boy roared.

His Zanpakutou collided with the wall of the cave once again as he missed his targets, rocks clanked and tumbled down the wall and onto the ground. Then, he cursed himself silently. He had left Hinamori wide open and unprotected.

He turned again, getting accustomed to the cave and the darkness, and his eyes made out Hinamori's frail form, still kneeling on the ground. Thankfully, the Arrancar had not gone for her; yet at least.

Suddenly, the cave was full of light once again, telling Hitsugaya that it must have been daytime again, whatever daytime was in Hueco Mundo that is. He had half an hour, only half an hour before Hinamori died of suffocation and he swore, that he was going to save her.

Now he could see the Arrancar quite clearly, and the advantage of sight was his once more. He smiled with satisfaction at the shocked looks on the Arrancar's faces. He raised his sword once more and aimed a blow at Rei, for she controlled the paralysis spell, but he greatly underestimated her agility and he wound up once again striking the cave wall.

"Where are you aiming boy?" The blue-eyed Vasto Lorde laughed.

Hitsugaya snorted, but then remembered that he had hit her before, and that she was wounded, therefore she could not keep up her speed forever. He lashed out swiftly with his sword, and this time managed to hit her shoulder, but the wound was too shallow.

Akuma, on the other hand, had been being ignored at the time, and when Hitsugaya turned around, he saw a red glow shimmering off of the cave walls, as the Arrancar formed a fiery cero in his palms.

Aiming at Hitsugaya, he smirked and fired the attack, not even giving Hitsugaya enough time to react, the red, firey glow increased and brightened and he could only close his eyes.

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A/N: Bwahahaha cliffhanger!! I feel evil right now! Oh and again everyone, if there are any errors or mistakes please do not kill me. I do not have a beta...er... as of now. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, then please feel free to ask! And Please Review!!


	13. That Which Is Destined

Chapter 13. That Which Is Destined

I do not own Bleach.

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Hitsugaya was thrust forcefully backwards at the impact of the cero.

The red flames lapped at his skin and caused his icy wings to begin to melt. Ice shattered everywhere as his body collided with the cave wall behind him, fire dancing all around him in a cruel, scorching game.His face smashed against the rocks, blood squirting out of his mouth, staining his once pure white fangs.

Blood dripped from his entire body and onto the cave floor, and Hitsugaya's aqua eyes closed painfully as he fell limply to the ground, rocks and icicles tumbling down with him.

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Hinamori's eyes adjusted to the change in light and her ears perked up to the sound of the cave being broken into thousands of tiny pieces.

Although her eyes were half closed with pain in the effort to breath, she could make out the blurred shape of giant ice wings, crumpled and broken on the ground. Chunks were chipped out of the once finely sculpted features of the wings, tail and claws.

The Zanpakutou lay on the ground, a few feet away from the wielder's bloody hands. She tried to call out to him.

"…H…H…Hitsu…gaya…k…kun…"

Her short breaths only allowed her to pant out his name in a silent whisper. Her throat tightened even more and she was suddenly aware of how desperately she needed air. She needed to take in a full breath of it, but her lungs seemed to be locked together, disabling her ability to inhale.

Her chestnut eyes glanced around the cavern slowly, until they came to rest upon the two Arrancar. Lively blue eyes locked with dimming chestnut ones. Amusement and triumph danced and flickered in the Arrancar's gaze, taunting and torturing the dying girl. Hinamori's eyes were abruptly full of anger and the longing for revenge.

But the second the Arrancar saw these changes in her eyes, Hinamori suddenly could not breathe again. Her lungs failed her as she gasped for oxygen that did not come.

The determination in her eyes soon melted into suffering and helplessness and her weak body sagged and she fell to the ground. She lay on her right side, her chest shuddering feebly for air, but despite all of her weaknesses, willpower still glistened faintly in her eyes.

"Know you're place girl!"

The loud, harsh words stung her ears as the Vasto Lorde shouted at her.

"You and the boy are both going to die here. Be thankful that we are allowing you both to die together in the same place. Face it; it is your set fate. You cannot undo that which is destined to be done."

Hinamori's mind faded and as her senses failed her, her world went black.

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Blurred shapes clouded Hitsugaya's vision and shadows engulfed him.

The only thing that he was aware of was an excruciating aching all over his body. He had only been unconscious for a few moments, he could tell because the rocks from when he had hit the wall were still falling. The Arrancar were still standing a few yards away as well, and he could make out Hinamori's crushed form lying once again on the ground.

"Damn it." Hitsugaya cursed under his breath.

They must have done something to her while he was out, for the last time he had seen her she had been sitting up.

"Damn you bastards. What did you do to her?" But the Vasto Lorde acted as though they did not hear him.

"Did you not hear us? You are _both_ going to die, so be a good little boy and watch us kill your friend. Not to worry, you'll be following her in just a few moments."

The same disgusting echo of a drowning animal rang in Hitsugaya's mind. He clenched his teeth and gripped his sword, sweeping his tail around and flapped his wings slowly as to balance himself as he stood. Blood fell from his mangled shihakushou and dripped off of his face, momentarily blinding him in his right eye.

"Hold on, I'm not finished yet." He snarled. "You should know, that to get to Hinamori, you have to fight me first."

He shook the blood from his eye and blinked his vision clear. He darted forward, stirring dust and ice as he took off and plunged towards the two. He purposely swung his sword early in order to make the Arrancar believe that he had missed. His plan worked, for smiles of amusement crept across their faces, thinking that he was still weary and therefore had been actually trying to hit them, which he was not.

The second after he swung his Zanpakutou, he whipped around in a full circle and let his tail flow out behind him. He smashed his tail into one of the Arrancar, he could not tell which, but he kept twisting in continuous circles.

Finally, he stopped suddenly and pulled his tail back, but then thrust it forward, throwing the Arrancar into the wall. Hitsugaya followed up his attack by charging forward afterwards and crushing his wings into the body. Blood spurted everywhere, covering Hitsugaya's wings in red, the warm liquid poured out over the cave floor and splashed into a repelling, crimson puddle.

Light blue eyes clouded over with death, and the Arrancar fell into the puddle below as Hitsugaya removed his tail.

"Pity." Hitsugaya said half-heartedly. "I was aiming for you and I might have let her live, but you let her get hit instead of taking the blow yourself. Oh well, she's dead now, but that's _you're _fault you damn coward." He turned to face the only remaining Arrancar. No pain resided in his brown-green eyes, not even regret.

"That doesn't matter to me." He sneered. Hitsugaya's blood began to boil.

_How can he just stand there when he just let his subordinate die _for_ him?_

Tyranny was something that Hitsugaya simply could not tolerate, and anger once again filled his eyes.

"As a matter of fact, I'm sort of grateful that you killed her. Now _I _gain her ability to control the victim under the spell. But, I am annoyed that you killed off all of my kin, so I think that now, I'll let _you _know what it feels like."

He clasped his hand into a tight fist and smirked devilishly. Hitsugaya's eyes snapped away from him and flew towards Hinamori.

Her body jerked violently and she slowly sat herself up, trying to allow air to get to her crumpled lungs. Tears threatened to fall at the corners of her eyes, and her chestnut gaze begged him to help her.

"Hinamori!" Hitsugaya shouted. Then he turned back to face Akuma.

"Damn you!" Then, his dark blue eyes began to fade to purple, and his entire self began to change, out of rage, out helplessness and out of the love for a friend.

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A/N: Yes, I really like to expand my vocabulary during the fight scenes. Well here is the next chapter! Hope you liked it and plz review!


	14. I Swear It

Chapter 14. I Swear It

I still do not own Bleach deal with it LOL.

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Soon, Hitsugaya's eyes had gone from a calming aqua, to a supernatural blue, then a ghostlike purple, and now they melted into a frightening crimson, like a bloodstained ruby.

His fangs hardened and grew at least an inch in length, the tips as deadly as the blades of multiple swords combined. His wingtips re-formed again, as sharp and filed icicles; his claws become as lethal as those of a lion, tiger, and leopard all in one. His jaws were forced to part, as they could no longer fit all of his fangs in his mouth. His vision was entirely red; everything he saw was eerily scarlet.

His eyes locked onto Akuma, his penetrating gaze bore into the Arrancar, and his throat rumbled in a fierce growl.

His drove his Zanpakutou forward, but despite Akuma's rising fear, he still managed to dodge the blow. Blinded by fury, Hitsugaya coiled around and swept his powerful tail at the Arrancar, but he was so enraged that he did not aim and missed pitifully, almost striking Hinamori.

He cursed silently, but continued to keep focus on his target. He shot forward and stretched out his claws, but yet again, Akuma dodged. Then, the Vasto Lorde began to form a fiery cero.

_Finally. _Hitsugaya though to himself. _He's going to put up a fight, and take this battle seriously. _

The cero was released an instant later, but it flew past Hitsugaya, missing him by almost ten feet. He smirked with satisfaction at his enemy's poor aim.

"Where are_ you_ aiming?" He spat.

But Akuma seemed pleased with himself for his un-guided attack. He smiled demonically.

"I don't recall ever saying that I was aiming for _you_." He replied calmly.

At first, he was puzzled at the words, but then Hitsugaya's crimson eyes stretched wide in understanding. He whirled around and followed the cero's path with his eyes.

"Hinamori!" He called out.

The dying girl could hardly sit up anymore, and her half closed eyes began to dim and flicker. He did, however, see fear and a silent plea for help in her eyes as the red fire came closer.

As fast as he could, Hitsugaya stretched his tail out and let the attack brush off of the ice, miss-directing it ever so slightly and causing it to miss the girl by only a few inches. It disintegrated into the rocky wall behind her, leaving only a faint red glimmering residue. Hitsugaya winced as ice fell away from his tail and landed noisily one the ground.

Akuma smiled and began forming another devastating cero in his palms. Hitsugaya lashed his broken tail, irritated, and flew forwards once again. Akuma fired the cero at the last second, but it was not fully developed and evaporated when Hitsugaya shielded himself with his wing.

He raised his Zanpakutou above his head, and as fast as a raindrop, he brought down his arm. The Vasto Lorde just barely dodged this time, but Hitsugaya was not finished yet.

He shot out his left hand, and managed to effectively rake his cat-like claws across Akuma's rough flesh, blood lingered in the air for a moment before falling to the ground; his claws were stained with red.

Then, the Arrancar disappeared into the back of the cave, deeper into the unknown and awaiting shadows. Hitsugaya hesitated, now could be his chance to get Hinamori and himself out of there, but then he remembered that he could only save her from suffocation by killing the last Arrancar.

He looked to the sky; about twenty minutes had gone by since the spell was put on her, meaning that he only had about ten minutes to finish this, or else Hinamori was done for.

He glanced over at her; she was kneeling in a defenseless position, her eyes full of terror and pain. But the terror in her eyes was not of dying, it was of something else, but right now, Hitsugaya could not tell what.

He slowly made his way over to her, and then he knelt down to reach his hand over to her, and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. She winced from his touch, her eyes shivered and her shallow panting came in short breaths.

Then, Hitsugaya pulled back, shocked; she was afraid of _him_.

His sudden transformation had frightened her, he was not who she thought he was anymore. He gently placed his cold, clawed hand on hers and let it stay there for a moment.

"Hold on, Hinamori, I'll help you, I swear it."

A moment of silence floated by, only the sounds of her gasping breath were heard.

Then, gradually, the terror in her eyes faded into trust, and love. She smiled the best smile that she could possibly muster at the time, her mouth ajar and her body heaving as she attempted to inhale with her weak lungs. Her chestnut eyes still pleaded for help, and his crimson ones promised to bring it.

He slowly slipped his cold hand off of her smooth skin, and stood to his feet. Her eyes followed him, asking, wanting him to stay with her; she wanted him to be there with her in her final moments, he practically saw the plea written in her eyes.

But he swore that he was going to save her; and he was.

He gave her one last re-assuring glance, full of affection, warmth, and love.

She glanced up at him, she was shaking horribly, and asked him one last time with her eyes to stay with her, but with his eyes he declined.

Silently admitting defeat, Hinamori nodded to him, and with her fading chestnut eyes, told him to come back to her alive, and that she loved him.

He nodded back in understanding and turned away from her. He beat his wings and slowly rose into the cold air. Taking one last glance back at her, he flew off silently into the darkness after the final Arrancar.

This battle was going to end, and one of them was not coming back.

Senses alert, Hitsugaya disappeared into the shadows, knowing that he might never come out.

And as he disappeared into those shadows, he failed to notice that the girl he had left behind eyes closed, and she collapsed onto the cold, unforgiving ground, perhaps never to rise again.

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A/N: Once again really going all out on the vocabulary here. Please tell me what you thought and review!!


	15. The Final Attack

Chapter 15. The Final Attack

I do not own Bleach.

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The darkness had consumed Hitsugaya once again as he followed the shadowy path that the Arrancar had taken, deeper into the heart of the cave.

He pounded his wings as fast as he could against the rocks that marked the walls of the caves. Once again, as his vision blurred and worsened, his other senses all enhanced.

He could feel the walls of the cave, brushing against his wingtips and steering him on ahead in the right direction, like a cat's whiskers. He could smell the vile stench of the Vasto Lorde further forward, mixed with the tangy, rain-like scent of blood. Above the sounds of his wing beats; he could hear his enemy's feet scuttling about before him.

Suddenly, the narrow tunnel widened into another large, open cave, giving him more wing space. He halted when his wings told him that he was out of the tunnel, then he stayed deathly still, like a concrete statue, listening.

Nothing could be heard now, no cackling, and no footsteps.

And then, what seemed to be out of nowhere, Hitsugaya was struck on the side of the head and stumbled. He crashed into the cave wall, icicles and rock flying everywhere with the rough collision. Blood seeped from the side of his head and trickled over both of his eyes, blinding his red vision.

He wanted to give up.

He wanted to give up now and just have it all over with.

But he could not.

He could not just give up on her, for he had come all this way, and she needed him now more then ever.

As the Arrancar sprang at him once more, Hitsugaya blocked the razor-sharp claws, thanks to Hyorinmaru. The blade of his Zanpakutou was soaked in blood, dripping a liquid as red as his malignant eyes. He was transforming into a completely different being.

His rage, his blood lust, his determination, his fighting spirit; they were all coming together. They were changing him, and he did not know if it was for the better or the worst. Something in the very center of his soul, the very core of his being, was transforming him into some exponentially vicious creature. Ice was storming around the cave like a frothing mass of liquid cotton. Some primordial ferine wrath that he had kept locked away in himself for so long now thrashed uncontrollably inside of him.

He was _not_ going to let her die, no matter what.

His massive wings churned in the frozen air, slowly lifting him up to tower above his enemy. His eyes were emotionless, no fear resided there, just nothing but endless pools of crimson. This metamorphosis had turned him into a loathing, revenge-possessed being.

As he rushed in, he extended his right arm, letting his Zanpakutou score the tough flesh of the Arrancar. As a cero was thrust back at him in a counterattack, Hitsugaya maneuvered the blast of energy and rushed in once again. His speed was unimaginable.

As Hitsugaya plunged downward once again, his enemy just managed to dodge, but the wind moved by the force of his plunge made Akuma stagger. Hitsugaya saw his chance and darted forward once again, succeeding in knocking his rival off of his unsteady feet.

Now, Hitsugaya was inexorable, he could not, would not be defeated. He turned and whipped his colossal icy tail into the ground, aiming for Akuma. But somehow, the Arrancar had again managed to get out of the path of the furious boy's attacks. He stood to his feet, but did not get one moment of rest, for Hitsugaya rushed him again missing, this time only by centimeters.

Akuma struggled to keep up with his opponent's incomprehensible agility, but to no avail.

So he tried something else.

As quickly as he could, before the dragon-like boy could react, Akuma gathered all of the spiritual energy that he could possibly muster. As the red particles clustered together like magnets, they grew larger and larger in size, and it all happened so fast that Hitsugaya did not know what hit him.

When he opened his eyes from a blink, hundreds of thousands of ceros were tearing towards him. Without even thinking, his body dodged for him, swiftly darting through the endless deadly rubies.

But it was impossible, for anyone, to dodge them all.

The scarlet balls of energy did not cease to form in the Vasto Lorde's palms, and likewise, he did not cease firing them. Eventually, the ceros began to pound Hitsugaya's tired wings as he shielded his body from the deathly strikes. The ice of his wings leisurely chipped away, piece by piece.

Finally, unable to keep hold of his stamina, Hitsugaya was forced backwards into a rocky cave wall. What was left of his wings unfurled, leaving him exposed and vulnerable. But even though he was clearly defeated, the attacks did not cease striking him.

Then, after countless, torturous blows, Akuma let fly the final particularly excruciating blow that he had deliberately been holding back. As the frightful attack met his flesh, Hitsugaya's eyes stretched wide and then dangled shut limply, as his body collapsed onto the frozen ground.

His Zanpakutou was left to skid un-authorized across the sheet of ice. His wings and tail crumbled into small molecules of frost and his claws and fangs disintegrated into the atmosphere. Hitsugaya was half unconscious, blood spilling freely from every wound on his mangled body.

Akuma advanced slowly, keeping a weary eye on the boy in uncertainty. But as he saw the deplorable condition of his opponent, he relaxed his shoulders and walked slowly forward.

Hitsugaya tensed, not sure if he was bracing himself for the final blow, or bracing himself to leap up at his unsuspecting foe.

But his injured body allowed him to do neither, just lay there as the victorious Arrancar glared tauntingly down at him.

"Pity. You were so close, but you've wasted too much precious time. The girl only has about 5 more minutes to live as of now. You have failed boy, you have failed both yourself and her. I cannot believe that you would let her die so easily, whereas I cannot believe that _you_, Hitsugaya Toshiro of all people, would die so easily. You really are pitiful."

Akuma turned and made his way across the frosted cavern, not looking back, knowing that he was victorious.

However, silently, the ice crept back onto Hitsugaya's skin, once again forming the claws, fangs, tail and wings which he had become so accustomed to within the past few weeks.

Without his Zanpakutou, Hitsugaya gathered the remainder of his willpower, and soundlessly rushed at Akuma from behind.

But the Vasto Lorde had anticipated his action, knowing that he would not go down so easily.

He spun to face the white-haired boy at the very last second, and the sounds of iron scraping concrete echoed throughout all of Hueco Mundo.

Claw met claw, and seconds later, blood pooled out over the ground of the cave, staining the once pure, clean ice.

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A/N: Okay this is really where I went insane with the vocab lol. So, sombody got hit, who was it? Find out next chapter! Plz review!


	16. Fallen Angel

Chapter 16. Fallen Angel

I do not own Bleach.

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The fresh scarlet blood re-coated the drying crimson.

Hitsugaya and Akuma stood motionless, face-to-face. Hitsugaya was no longer demonically possessed, as he had been, so now his untainted aqua eyes glared into sickening brown-green. Akuma glared back with equal detestation, a low rumble bubbled in his throat. Likewise, Hitsugaya's throat hid an evenly vicious growl, his face twisted into a snarl like a ruthless wolf.

The blood continued to fall; yet neither side moved, not the side mixed with the colors of blue and white, nor the side of brown and gray.

Finally, claws clasp together and closed on one another, more blood flowing blissfully from either one, the precious life flowing out behind it. Then, Hitsugaya staggered, and then stumbled forward, face down onto the cold, blood spattered ground once again.

Seconds later, Akuma smirked with satisfaction and then followed, and fell forward, landing hardly on the cave floor as well. Never had he fought such a fearsome opponent, and never again would he face _any _opponent.

He was beaten, he knew that, but the boy had wasted too much of his valuable time, and the girl that he had come all this way for was probably already dead. And just to make sure that she did in fact die, Akuma, instead of honorably giving up and dying, tried his hardest to stay alive for as long as he could.

He struggled stubbornly to hang onto life for as long as he possibly could just so he could make sure that the girl died, for once he died, she would be free of the spell. But if he just stayed alive for a few moments longer…

Finally, Akuma scented death, somewhere in the cave. He knew for a fact that it was not the dragon boy; he had come too far, and had too stubborn a will to die now.

_The smell of death, is it the girl?_ He wondered. _Or, is it me?_

He never received the answer to his question, for seconds later, Akuma, the last Vasto Lorde and leader of his clan, died.

Hitsugaya pushed himself up into a hunched sitting position, panting he glanced at the Arrancar's un-moving form.

_Am I…too late? _He though desperately.

No response came to him. His Zanpakutou had skidded near to the place where he had fallen and he shakily gripped the hilt in his hands.

"Arigatou, Hyorinmaru. I never could have gotten this far without you."

As if in response, his massive wings and long, colossal tail evaporated into frost and absorbed into the blade of the Zanpakutou, as did his claws and fangs. He had lost his dragon-like form for the moment, but this current loss of power had lifted a burden from his shoulders. And this power had merged with his Hyorinmaru, storing the power, and energy for battles later to come.

Suddenly, he remembered everything that the numbing fall had caused him to forget.

"Hinamori." He whispered.

Shakily, with the support of his Zanpakutou, Hitsugaya rose to his feet, and with one last glance at Akuma's corpse raced away through the shadows. Blood dripped out a scarlet trail behind him, but he did not stop going.

His senses guided him as they had done before, with the exception that he had to use his hands now and not his wings. He felt his way through the dark, shadowy tunnel, and blindly focusing on what lay ahead of him, lost his footing and tripped.

He lay there, once again having no desire to get up back up. But then, his mind snapped back into the present matter; Hinamori needed him.

He was becoming his own problem; he kept falling and doubting himself and Hinamori. He doubted that she would still be alive, but he was not giving her enough credit. She was, after all, one of the lucky select Shinigami that had been chosen as fukuutaichou. He was underestimating her, and that he deeply regretted for not having faith in her, and trusting that she would pull through.

Hitsugaya knew that falling was a lot easier then getting back up. But, if one were to get back up, then one would solve their problems. Hitsugaya's will was too great to let him remain lying there in the untamed shadows. He pulled himself to his feet once more, and felt his way out of the rest of the tunnel.

Finally, the darkness became more lighted and the other side of the cave came into view. He could still scent the strong, tangy smell of blood, and the rock walls were just as distraught as when he had left them.

Rocks and pebbles scattered the ground in a blanket of gravel mixed with blood. Icicles still dangled from the topmost portions of the cave. The air here was just as cold as it was in the other part of the cave.

White mist puffed out before Hitsugaya and then evaporated into the freezing air. Hitsugaya frantically tried to jog his mangled memories of what exactly had happened here, and where he had last seen Hinamori. The faintest bit of light filtered through a hole near the center of the roof of the cave.

The light was from the moon, for Hueco Mundo was a land of eternal night, and only the faintest bit of light ever touched it. As the moonlight bathed the cave from icicle to pebble, Hitsugaya's gaze fretfully scoured the area. As he saw the scene before him, his blurred memories became clear once again.

He stepped past the bodies of the Arrancar that he had killed, stepping in the small puddles of blood strewn about their lifeless forms. He slid Hyorinmaru back into the sheath that was strapped onto his back.

As Hitsugaya slowly and silently picked his was through the corpses of the Vasto Lorde, his aqua gaze finally came to rest upon the small, shadowy, crumpled form of Hinamori in the corner of the cave.

Fear, grief and agony all stabbed at Hitsugaya at once.

Her body was still, too still, and no white mist lifted from her body to signal that she was breathing.

Her limp form lay, un-moving in the shadows; her delicate, and frail body was broken and crushed, like a fallen angel.

As Hitsugaya slowly made his way over to his friend, tears began to fill his aqua eyes.

He lingered above her motionless form and collapsed onto his knees next to her.

"Hinamori..."

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A/N: Sumimasen it was so short and I am really sorry that it took so long! Please do not hate / flame me! But please take 60 seconds out of your life to review and give meaning to my writings and stories!


	17. For Now

Chapter 17. For Now

I do not own Bleach.

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Hitsugaya stared at his friend, too guilty to speak, or bid her a final farewell.

He curled his arms around her and laid her head on his lap, her brown hair streaming over his knees in places where it had escaped the security of the blue cloth.

As he looked down at her, several times he thought that he saw faint with puffs lifting from her slightly ajar lips, and the pain in his heart receded as he thought she was breathing. But as he blinked his eyes, he realized that his eyes were just playing cruel tricks on him.

"Gomenasai, Hinamori. This is all my fault. I could have prevented all of this but…I-I was too late. I'm so sorry…"

His voice trailed off into the dark echoes of the cave. A soft wind blew, ruffling her shihakushou but nonetheless she remained still. He closed his eyes and pulled her closer, letting his warm hands dance over the skin of her frozen ones.

He leaned back against the rock wall behind him, and just kept his eyes shut, praying for any kind of miracle that might not come. As another gust of wind slipped by, her shihakushou ruffled more than it did the last time, and Hitsugaya was forced to un-seal his eyes at the sound.

"Mm…" It was a small, quiet, sound, but it was all that he needed. He pulled her into a kneeling position in front of him and held her shoulders.

"Baka." Was all that he could murmur. She drowsily lifted her head, discombobulated hair fluffing out in all directions, but the shadows were so dark that neither once noticed, nor did they care.

He smiled as her shimmering chestnut eyes met his aqua ones; they locked each other's gaze. Hinamori seemed to be on the verge of tears, Hitsugaya simply gave her an affectionate glance.

"Why am I not surprised?" He asked jokingly. Hinamori cocked her head to one side, puzzled.

"Nani? What do you mean Toshiro-kun?" She brushed some loosed, tangled strands of hair away from her face, and tucked them behind her ear.

"I mean, why am I not surprised that you woke up? It seems to me that you always do this to me and always wind up being alright." He teased. "And since when am I 'Toshiro-kun' neh?" Hinamori giggled and gave him a playful smile.

"I just wanted to see if you'd notice Hitsugaya-kun." Was all that she gave away. But the white-haired taichou saw the glimmering hint of a friendly challenge residing in her eyes.

"What if I called you Shiro-chan?" She smirked.

"What if _I _called _you_ Bed-Wetter Momo?" He grinned. Then he sighed. "Like I said, you're always finding ways to get yourself into trouble, but this time you went a bit too far. Just promise me you'll never do it again." He told her, half jokingly, half serious.

"I promise, Shiro-chan." She kidded the last part of her response.

As they quarreled over their pet names, like only the best of friends would, the rest of the world was forgotten, what had happened in the past, and what might happen in the future. The only thing that either one cared about was the other, and the time that they shared together _now_.

The darkness was once again overcoming them and their sight was drowned out by darkness. Hitsugaya felt Hinamori shiver and her held her tighter.

"I hate to say it, and I mean I _really _hate to say it, but I think that its best if we stay here for the rest of the night." He suggested.

Reluctantly, Hinamori nodded. If they returned to Soul Society now, they would be as blind as moles, scuttling through un-familiar tunnels. They had best wait until the faint light of 'morning', whatever morning may be in this place of eternal night.

Dusk was long gone when Hitsugaya finally noticed Hinamori's breathing deepen as she fell asleep. He however stayed awake, his gaze shifting uneasily around the moonlight-bathed cave, as if he expected more Arrancar to spring out at them.

But his fretful worries were all for not. This cave seemed to be out of reach of all other Hollow and Arrancar other than the ones that had previously lived there, whose blood stained the very walls that once made up their dwelling.

Never again would Hitsugaya have to hear that awful voice, sounding of an animal whose throat was torn to ribbons and frayed so much that it drowned in its own life-blood. As the events of the past days re-flooded his mind, Hitsugaya recalled all of the pointless bloodshed that had taken place. He probably would have let some of the manipulated creatures live if they had simply left Hinamori alone. But that was just not how things wound up to be.

The silence of the cave was eerie, and the simultaneous whistles of the breezes petting the rocks flowed around them. Occasionally, sand would blow in through the entrance of the cavern, making the aqua-eyed boy think that a possible sandstorm were taking place, and he feared returning to Seireitei with the two of them in such weak and vulnerable states.

Eventually, Hitsugaya became calm, listening only to the whispers of the wind against the rocks and the soft breathing of the girl at his side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, gently as not to wake her, and pulled her closer to him.

Only then did he notice just how cold she was, the Winter air and frost did not hold back, nor show mercy for this girl.

His mind flashed back to the time when the two of them had sat like that in his office back in the 10th division's building, back in civilization. He longed to return, as soon as he could, but with Hinamori in such a frail condition, he knew that they would be targeted by many savage Hollow, and that their return home would take a while.

In order to return to Seireitei, they had to find the exact spot where the portal that had gotten them in had closed. And then, they would have to make another portal in order to get back.

But Hitsugaya shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind for the time being; he would deal with those issues when they aroused.

He let Hinamori's head rest on his shoulder and he gently nestled his body closer to hers, her tranquil breaths soothed him and he forgot all of his troubles, if only for now.

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A/N: Well here you have it Chapter 17! I hope you liked it! (Next chapter will be a songfic). Plz review!


	18. Looking Through Your Eyes

Chapter 18. Looking Through Your Eyes

I do not own Bleach or this song.

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Aqua eyes opened once again about half an hour later.

He simply could not sleep tonight.

The moonlight still painted the cave walls in a pale, silky radiance, like a misty pond during a small drizzle. Hitsugaya lifted his arms above his head and stretched, not thinking at the moment, and currently forgetting the sleeping girl that lay at his side. Her head drearily lifted from his shoulder, and she blinked her eyes tiredly. Hitsugaya cursed himself silently.

"Gomen Hinamori, I wasn't thinking." He apologized.

"I'll say." She replied in false annoyance. "Well now that I'm up, I know that I won't be able to fall asleep again for a while." Hitsugaya nodded in agreement.

The two of them leaned back against the rock walls, and peered through the hole in the roof. Surprisingly, the stars in Hueco Mundo were very similar to those in Soul Society as well as the Living World. From the position they were in, they could not see the moon, and only knew that it was there because of the light. Hinamori squinted her tired eyes a bit and Hitsugaya glanced at her curiously.

"That star looks brighter than all of the others, and its kind of purple." She nodded her head to one star to the left of their gazes. Hitsugaya too squinted to find out that she was right; it was very bright glittering with shimmers that he had never seen on a star before.

Hinamori glimpsed at Hitsugaya, her sparkling chestnut eyes staring deeply into his delicate aqua ones.

_**Look at the sky tell me what do you see? **_

_**Just close your eyes and describe it to me **_

_**The heavens are sparkling with starlight tonight **_

_**That's what I see through your eyes**_

Hitsugaya stared back into her eyes, but she broke their gaze with a shy smile and looked away.

Was that a blush that he had seen on her face?

Even in the shadows of the night, he could have sworn that he had seen a hint of pink on her cheeks. He smiled sheepishly, but just looked away, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable.

But soon, his strong devotion to her caused his arm to slide around her shoulders and he pulled her close once again. Again she smile, her eyes beaming as strong as the stars themselves, but still, the boy detected pink on her face.

He felt her heartbeat pulse throughout her body, linking her to him. In the loneliness of the cave, it was almost as if her heart was pounding loudly, echoing for the entire world to hear.

Hitsugaya smiled sweetly, being glad to be alive, glad that she was alive, and glad that they had found each other.

**_I see the heavens each time that you smile _**

_**I hear your heartbeat just go on for miles **_

_**And suddenly I know my life is worthwhile**_

_**That's what I see through your eyes**_

_**Here in the night I see the sun**_

_**Here in the dark our two hearts are one**_

_**It's out of our hands we can't stop what we have begun**_

_**And love just took me by surprise **_

_**Looking through your eyes**_

Hinamori shook herself as a small, misty drizzle made its way through the opening in the roof, forming a small puddle in front of her.

She was puzzled; she thought that there was no water in Hueco Mundo. But as she glanced over at Hitsugaya, she understood. He smiled at her, and she reflected the gesture.

_How in the world did he make it rain _here?

She could hardly believe it, but she gave into the fact that he was 'The Boy Prodigy'. Both of them were quite relieved for the rain droplets steadily falling from the sky. Hitsugaya had gathered up enough energy to let a slight sprinkle come down on them. But the refreshment of the water did not last more than five minutes, but it was far better then nothing at all.

Hinamori blinked the rain out of her eyes, and shook her head, splattering Hitsugaya with more icy water that flew off from her drenched hair. Compared to the dry, thirsty state she had been in the last few days, she considered herself to be soaked.

Her brown eyes wandered to the little puddle in front of her, and she stared at her reflection.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Hitsugaya gazing curiously into the water-mirror with her. Then she lifted her eyes to meet his, letting him see all of the trust and affection that she had for him. Hitsugaya saw this trust, and faith that she had put in him, and vowed silently to always be there for her.

**_I look at myself and instead I see us _**

**_Whoever I am now it feels like enough _**

**_And I see a girl who is learning to trust _**

**_That's who I see through you eyes_**

As the friends stared into each other's eyes Hitsugaya could no longer hold himself back.

He leaned forward and gently kissed her, his eyes closing sweetly.

Surprise blasted from the aura surrounding her, her eyes widened and she did not get a chance to return the kiss, for he had already pulled away.

She shied away from him, her heart racing. But after a moment or so, she slowly turned back to him, and gave him the sweetest and most adorable smile that he had ever seen. Although she said nothing, he could tell that her feelings were the same as his own; both wanted this to last forever.

"I'll never leave you, Hinamori. I love you." He confessed at last.

She smiled at him flattered, and blushing, she responded.

"I love you too, Hitsugaya-kun, I always have, and I always will." She promised.

Neither one had ever thought that such a strong love could ever exist.

They could only cherish the moment, and each other.

_**I see a night I wish could last forever **_

_**I see a world we're meant to see together **_

_**And it is so much more than I remember**_

_**More than I remember**_

_**More than I have known**_

_**Here in the night I see the sun**_

_**Here in the dark our two hearts are one**_

_**It's out of our hands we can't stop what we have begun**_

_**And love just took me by surprise**_

_**Looking through your eyes. **_

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A/N: Well there you have it!

Sorry it took so long, I was sick. I did not use the whole song because I did not like one verse xp

Please review!!


	19. The Journey Back

Chapter 19. The Journey Back

I do not own Bleach.

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The light that would have signaled morning in Soul Society peered through the hole in the roof, rousing the two friends.

Hinamori blinked a few times, her eyelids heavy from lack of sleep the night before. Hitsugaya was no better; his eyes were also dreary and laden with sleep. As their eyes adjusted to the faint light, they began to become a bit more awake, although they were both still very tired.

Hitsugaya began to wonder if they should leave the next day, for if they did not make it the entire way today, then he did not fancy the thought of spending the night in the Hollow-infested desert. And he was sure that Hinamori would not either. But then he only came to realize that the more they waited, the weaker they became, every wasted second they became more and more exhausted, tired, and hungry.

They had to leave today, and he did not want to waste any more time then he had to. Hitsugaya raised his arms above his head again; similar to what he had done to awaken Hinamori the night before. As he stretched, Hinamori shifted so that she was kneeling and faced him, waiting obediently for him to tell her that they should get going.

Finally, Hitsugaya stood up slowly, his legs worn out from sleeping in such an awkward position, his muscles were tense and he found difficulty in trying to stand up straight. But he had to lean against the rock wall for support as to not fall over.

Hinamori giggled softly as she watched him, looking like a tired old cat who had just been woken from a heavy sleep to obtain his dinner. Hitsugaya shot her a half annoyed, half embarrassed look; he knew that he must look like a fool.

"Well you would be tired too if you had just been tossed around like a frizz-bee after running through a desert and almost passing out from dehydration!" He defended himself.

This only amused her more and caused her to laugh harder. Hitsugaya simply rolled his eyes and waited for her to catch her breath. Then he reached a hand down to her after witnessing her struggle to stand. Reluctantly, she grasped his hand and with a gentle, but firm yank, he pulled her up. She stumbled and leaned against the wall, and this time, _he _laughed at _her_ clumsiness.

"Well you would be tired too if _you_ had been kidnapped and thrown into the corner of a cave and put under a spell that stops you from breathing!" She had him there.

He could not imagine what it would be like to be breathing freely one moment, and then have your precious air supply cut off without warning. He said nothing more, silently telling her that she had won that argument, and, grasping her small hand, he led her through the faint shadows of the cave.

Her grip on his hand tightened as she stepped gingerly around the bloody corpses of the Arrancar, Hitsugaya could tell that she was sick to her stomach. She had seen far too much blood lately, something he never wanted her to witness in such a violent and brutal way.

As they stepped out into what was now considered sunlight, the two of them squinted at the sudden 'brightness'. Sand and dust buzzed around them, and Hitsugaya only prayed that there be no more sandstorms.

"We should hurry." Hitsugaya announced. "There are many other Hollow here, and if I'm correct, in no time they'll pick up the sent of those dead Arrancar and be swarming here like flies in a matter of time. We have to travel as fast as possible."

Hinamori nodded in agreement and understanding. Hitsugaya tried to keep pace with Hinamori, but she was so weak and tired that she was moving painfully slow, every wasted second she was becoming weaker, and every wasted second was a second that more Hollow could find them.

The look in her eyes, however, told Hitsugaya that she was doing the very best she could, and he feared that she would over-exert herself, and he did not want to push her too hard. Everyone has their own limitations, and at the time, Hinamori's were not among the highest. Their long journey back was taking its toll on her.

After about an hour of trekking through the scorching sand, the white-haired taichou noticed the girl begin to pant. Every step she took was slower than the previous and worry was beginning to overcome him. They had to stop many times; just so that she could catch her much needed breath.

At one of their standstills, Hitsugaya finally swept her off of her feet and carried her bridal style. Hinamori, being the thoughtful and good-natured girl that she was, objected, telling him that she was too heavy. But Hitsugaya had simply smirked and responded.

"Are you saying that you don't think I'm strong enough to carry someone as light as you?" He kidded.

Hinamori had fumbled for an answer to defend herself, but had wound up being carried away in the boy's arms anyway. They traveled this way for about an hour, and Hitsugaya was almost about to call forth Hyorinmaru to fly them the rest of the way, for he had saved as much of his energy as possible. Hopefully, the dragon could fly them there faster with the energy he had spare.

However, using all of that energy to fly would probably use _all_ of his energy, thus the dragon would need much rest when they returned home. Soon, their surroundings began to look somewhat familiar to Hitsugaya, such as a large, wide mountain-like rock. Now he just needed to find where the portal had first opened…

"Hitsugaya-kun, look out!"

His thoughts were cut off by Hinamori's warning shout. He snapped back into reality and shifted his gaze to see a horde of large, distorted figures racing towards them; Hollow.

"Damn it!" He cursed, letting Hinamori slide from his arms. He reached for his Zanpakutou and drew his sword, standing in front of Hinamori protectively.

"Is there any way I can help, Hitsugaya-kun? I hate just standing here and not being able to do anything, I'm just a burden." Uselessness and apology laced her voice, and Hitsugaya, not taking his eyes off of the approaching Hollow, answered.

"Don't say that! You're _not_ a burden so don't even think that! You don't have your Zanpakutou right now and your too exhausted to fight. Just stay back and promise me you won't get hurt." He told her, preparing to leap forward as the first Hollow neared. Out of the corner of his eye, the aqua-eyed boy saw her nod.

"Alright Hitsugaya-kun, I promise."

With that, Hinamori watched Hitsugaya leap onward and disappear in a blue light, as almost all of the Hollow disintegrated.

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A/N: Here it is! Let me just say this; its not over yet. There are going to be a few more things standing in their paths home...

Stay tuned for chapter 20! (lol it sounds like a TV show) Please review!!


	20. Sandstorm

Chapter 20. Sandstorm

I do not own Bleach.

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Sand flew around the spot where the large Hollow had fallen.

Blood dripped from Hyorinmaru, staining the dry desert dust. The creature let out one last roar of defiance as it disintegrated into the air, becoming one with the atmosphere just as all the others had.

Hitsugaya flicked the red liquid off of the blade of his sword. He slid the sword back into its sheath and walked over to Hinamori. She was clutching her left shoulder and blood flowed steadily from the gaping wound that a stealthy Hollow had managed to inflict.

"How's your shoulder?" The white-haired boy asked.

"I'm alright." Hinamori lied. "How's _your_ shoulder?" She reflected the question.

His left shoulder also leaked the crimson liquid, but not nearly as much as hers.

"I'm fine." He stated matter-of-factly. "Now let me see your shoulder."

He insisted, gently removing her hand from the bleeding wound. She winced, trying to hide the pain, but he could plainly see how much suffering she was going through. Her eyes practically screamed that she was about to fall over from loss of blood. The crimson sand beneath her blew away as a gust of wind buffeted the desert. Scarlet stained the dusty ground, seeping into the countless layers of sand beneath it.

Hitsugaya examined the bloodstained gash, and placed his hand on the injury. Hinamori squeaked in pain and pulled away a little as more blood began to flow. Pain seared throughout her entire body, her heart was pounding with the effort of accepting Hitsugaya's touch.

"Hold still." He instructed.

Cold suddenly seeped onto Hinamori's shoulder, freezing the river of blood spilling from the cut. She tried her very best to stay still and not flinch away. After a moment of frost creeping along her raw skin, Hitsugaya lifted his hand from her shoulder and sighed.

"Unfortunately that's the best that I can do for you right now. The bleeding's stopped for now but I don't know how long the ice will keep it from re-opening. We'll have to get that seen too when we get back."

He sounded confident that they were indeed going to get back, whereas Hinamori was being filled with more and more doubt that they would ever return with every second that passed.

"We've got to keep moving. We can't afford to waste any more time here, I want to get back to Seireitei as soon as possible. I don't want to have to spend the night here." He glanced at the dusky sky, in Soul Society; it would probably be a little while before noon.

Hinamori staggered, as if she were going to collapse, and Hitsugaya quickly caught her; this was not good. She was becoming weaker and frailer by the second, and she greatly needed treatment.

Her eyes blinked repeatedly for a moment before she shook her head and tried to re-obtain her balance and prior stamina. But Hitsugaya could obviously tell that she was not going to last much longer. He was about to lift her up and continue on their way, when Hitsugaya froze. Worry and concern automatically clouded Hinamori's chestnut eyes.

"Hitsugaya-kun, what's wrong?" Her voice was scared and fragile, laced with fear and fretfulness.

Without warning, Hitsugaya jerked her arm firmly, causing her to gasp in surprise and be pulled to him. The sudden motion caused blood to drip from her re-opened wound as she fell forward and crashed into him. The next thing that she knew, his arms were tightly clasped around her body, his hands firmly holding her close to him.

"HOLD ON!" Was the only warning that her ears could decipherer.

Her ability to hear was suddenly cut off as a raging wind thrashed around them; hard granite and silt collided with her body. She squeezed her eyes shut and no longer could recognize one sense from another. Sand whipped her ears and managed to collect in her mouth, the corners of her eyes burned with the small pebbles and minerals. She coughed out a mouthful of sand, only for her mouth to be filled again with the dry silt.

Hitsugaya was in no better condition. His mouth too was filled, and when he opened his mouth to cough, more sand replaced the previous collection. Neither one could breath as the storm's full wrath was released on the two of them. Hinamori felt the boy's embrace falter, but he desperately tried to hold on to her.

Hitsugaya frantically attempted to keep his grip on her, but the harsh sandstorm showed them no mercy whatsoever. He was aware of the warm blood that seeped from her shoulder, as well as his own, but he dared not open his eyes. He felt his feet being tossed from under him. The two of them were being hurled throughout the desert of an unfamiliar world, steadily moving further and further away from their destination. It seemed as though the storm of sand would never cease, and Hitsugaya's grasp on his dear friend was loosening drastically.

Finally, there was nothing more that he could to obtain his grip. One moment, she was curled in his arms and the next she was gone. Her weight suddenly evaporated into thin air and Hitsugaya was thrust backwards into the hurricane of ruthless sand.

Hinamori fell away from her friend and plummeted through the rough pieces of sand, countless miles in any and every direction. And despite all of the willpower in her body, all of the sense and logical emotions in her entire being, Hinamori went against all of these senses and screamed.

Sand flooded her nose and mouth, filling her lungs and cutting off her breath. She no longer could make sense of anything, and she felt nothing now except for the grains of sand lashing against her skin.

She was oblivious to any and all sense of feeling until she smashed into the ground. She tumbled and was thrown forward, twisting over herself, until finally the wind stopped tossing her. She finished her fall in a final plunge; a sickening cracking noise sounded from her limp body as she finally lay still.

Her body was crumpled into a distorted form as she lay in the sand, the wind continuously blowing around her, but she did not move.

And somewhere far away, Hitsugaya too plummeted to the sandy ground, his body colliding with the sand beneath him.

And he too lay still, and unconscious, the two friends separated by miles and miles of desert and sand.

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A/N: It is not over yet! You did not think that they were going to get home _that_ easily did you? Well to be perfectly honest with you all, I was never originally going to do this. The idea came to me at the last second.

Well anyway, please reivew and let me know what you think!!


	21. Lost

Chapter 21. Lost

I do not own Bleach.

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Warm blood trickled off of his body and into the hot sand scattered all around him.

Hitsugaya groaned in agony as he tried to lift his head up only to wind up having it fall back onto the ground again. His entire body was tense and aching, intense pain surged through his left arm and chest.

Eventually, he managed to push himself up, but as he sat up straight, it only caused him to cough up mouthfuls of sand. His tongue and throat were parched and screeching for water, and sweat dripped from his forehead.

Assembling all of the power that he could handle, Hitsugaya formed one small icicle on each of the fingers of his right hand. The small blades of ice quenched his great thirst for the moment.

He shook his head, letting countless grains of sand fall back down to the desert floor. As he lifted himself up, he almost fell back down when he realized how weak his legs were. But the pain in his left arm was searing throughout his entire body now, prickling like a thorn whenever he attempted to move. Finally, he overcame his pain and managed to stand up in a hunch and defenseless position.

He glanced at the darkening sky, finding out that it was almost nightfall.

He took a deep breath in and began to summon his Zanpakutou's powers once again. Small icicles formed on his hands and feet, and soon these tiny bits of ice transformed into deadly talons. Wings unfolded and a long, thick tail stretched out behind him.

Hitsugaya put a barrier of ice over his left arm, immobilizing it and numbing it of all pain. He pulled both of his mighty wings up into the air and brought them down again, disturbing the sand below him and causing it all to explode in a great wave. He continued to beat his wings and eventually, lifted himself into the hot air. He had no idea where he was, no surroundings seemed familiar, and he was quite aware of the fact that he might never make it out of this hellish place.

He was lost, she was lost.

But he was going to find Hinamori, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

He chose a direction, not knowing which one it was, and pounded his wings. As he soared over the endless lonely hills of sand, he cast a mighty shadow, and flying so openly in the air like that, he was an easy target. But at the moment he honestly did not care, he just wanted to find his friend.

His aqua eyes scoured the land, alert for any form or shape that seemed familiar, and not only landmarks.

Soon afterwards, the sky began to darken, and fear and uneasiness trickled throughout Hitsugaya' s veins. He needed to find her, but he was not even sure if he was going in the right direction. And as much as he despised the thought, he needed to stop and rest sometime if he even wanted to have the energy to look for her. Plus, his left arm was beginning to feel pain again, and this pain shot through his body, despite the icy cast he had enclosed it in.

He decided that he would continue to search for about half an hour more, and than settle down for the night.

Said half hour flew by in what seemed the blink of an eye. Hitsugaya saw no sign of his friend nor of anything familiar. He knew that they both would have to get out of there very soon if they wanted to live any longer.

Reluctantly, Hitsugaya lowered himself to the world below, and lay down in the sand, being careful to not injure his left arm any more than it already was. He did not want to fall asleep so freely, so far he had not seen any other Hollow, but one never knows, for they could be silently slinking around in the shadows, keeping out of sight and waiting for the perfect opportunity. When he least expected it, they could form out of absolutely nowhere and attack.

And he was not only worried for his own well-being. He was not even sure if Hinamori were still alive, or if he were even going the right way. Or if he were wise to even think that he could get out of this endless abyss.

Doubt and uncertainty floated about him like a think mist as he lay down and cured his wings and tail around him. However, the cold that emitted off of them re-assured him and hope soon began to drift around him.

This hope was a thin, bright ray of sunlight, slicing through the thick mist.

Giant, icy wings curled up and his tail wrapped around his body, his left arm still secured in the ice cast. He gazed up at the starry black sky, trying to find even the slightest bit of comfort so that he might fall asleep. He would need rest and strength for the tiring search ahead of him.

But no matter how hard he tried; Hitsugaya simply could not capture sleep. He fidgeted and shifted, uneasy prickling his flesh like a hedgehog.

Eventually, the aqua-eyed taichou fell into a restless slumber.

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Next morning, when Hitsugaya opened his eyes, he had forgotten where he was and all that he had been through.

Only when he attempted to lift himself up, did the searing pain of his broken arm remind him of past events. He uncurled his tail and flexed his claws, stretching as delicately as he could without straining his sore muscles.

Extreme hunger thrashed in his stomach for the first time since he had been there. All of _his_ power had drained away long ago, but thankfully, Hyorinmaru still had life force of his own to share. But, Hitsugaya knew that Hinamori did not have her Zanpakutou to lend her strength, and again Hitsugaya forgot his weariness and roused his aching wings.

Slowly, they beat the sand around him in a whirlwind and he lifted from the den of sand that he had made the night prior. He was beginning to wonder why he had not yet run into any more Hollow, but he did not complain.

The scene before him was like a yellow water-colored painting, his eyes searched the emptiness of the vast and barren desert below him, but still not a single shape came to his view.

Something was amiss; he could feel it.

Why had so many Hollow attacked him on the way in, yet he had only encountered few others? Surely he had not killed them all?

He shook his head; it was impossible for even all of Soul Society to kill off _all_ of the Hollow in Hueco Mundo, let alone one Shinigami alone.

Hitsugaya was snapped from his thoughts at the sound of a gurgled howling sound up ahead. He spotted an entire herd of them, clustered around each other in a circle, slowly advancing towards the center.

He did not want to get involved with them and waste his energy fighting, but something was drawing him there.

So despite his own feelings, Hitsugaya trusted his instincts and slowly made his way towards the black, shadowy group.


	22. Midnight Reunion

Chapter 22. Midnight Reunion

I do not own Bleach.

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The large, dark circle was slowly converging into a small black dot now.

Interested, Hitsugaya circled lower, trying to see why they were so dazzled. They were screeching and surrounding something like vultures.

Then, two words echoed through the barren wasteland. _**"**__Sennen Hyourou!"_

Seconds later, there was a blue smudge of ice on the water-colored desert scene.

Ice froze every single centimeter of each and every Hollow, icicles hung off of Hyorinmaru's cold blade. Fury mixed with fear inside Hitsugaya's chest as he perched on the sand in the center of the circle of Hollow beneath him. As fast as the ice had covered the creatures, it had broken apart into millions of pieces of like shattered glass. The sword made contact with the last block of ice, and soon all of the frozen Hollow that had stood there only seconds before, were deceased.

Along with the rest of the ice, Hitsugaya's wings, tail, and claws melted back into the sword, which was swiftly placed back in its sheath.

A jumbled mass of sand was half concealing the black cloth that made up a shihakushou.

Night had already overcome them now, and shadows clouded her features.

"Hinamori, Hinamori get up." He pleaded, pulling her limp body to him once again. The whole scene seemed far too familiar as he listened for her heartbeat and felt for her pulse. However, this time, she _did _have a heartbeat and a pulse, but they were un-naturally weak and slow.

Truth be told, he expected that this time, she really would be dead. But weak and slow pulses were better than none at all.

He knew that he could misuse no more time, and that they needed to get back to Rukongai, very soon. But then he foolishly overlooked the fact that his left arm was lame and that he would not be able to carry her more than 5 feet without injuring either one or both of them quite seriously.

As her head rested in his lap, he could see that she was breathing shallowly, as she had been when put under the Arrancar's spell.

He un-sheathed his sword once again, and gently lifted Hinamori's frail, almost weightless body from his lap. He stood to his feet but before he did anything more, he re-enforced his aching arm with a fresh layer of cold ice. Then, he lifted his Zanpakutou above his head and called out, "Hyorinmaru!"

The ice dragon formed before his eyes, the wings, tail, and talons that he had once shared with Hitsugaya were once again his own. Sensing his master's emotions, he patiently waited for the boy to voice his command.

Hitsugaya knelt down beside her again, and, ignoring the intense pain and protest screaming in his broken arm, he gently began to lift her up.

And so suddenly was her movement, that he almost had the two of them come crashing down onto the sand. She had jerked awake so suddenly, her eyes full of fear and suffering as she glanced up at him. But he had been startled by how fast she had yanked herself awake, that he wound up leaning backwards and almost falling.

He wound up dropping her fragile form painfully on the hard minerals of rock. She winced and gritted her teeth, whimpering agonizingly as her broken bones collide with solid materials and the air was knocked out of her. Hitsugaya sat up and leaned towards her.

"Hinamori!" He said her name helplessly, knowing that there was no way to apologize for causing her so much pain. Her eyes were squeezed closed in hurt, but as they opened to look at him, he saw only love, and the complete opposite of blame and fault.

She shyly shook her head and gave him the finest smile that she could possibly manage in such a condition. "

Gomen…" He tried to go on, but she did not allow him to finish. She shook her head again and whispered faintly to him.

"No…no it's not your fault. I don't blame you, and I could never hate you…for anything…I love you…Hitsugaya-kun…"

Alarm shot through him at the sound of her voice, it was as if her life was draining from her with every breath she took.

Panic and grief flooded over him as her eyes closed frailly, and her breathing slowed dramatically. She was frighteningly quiet afterwards, and Hitsugaya worriedly picked her up again, now completely ignoring the pain in his own arm.

Hyorinmaru flattened himself to the ground on his master's unspoken command. His ruby eyes glistened with his wings spread out as Hitsugaya carried Hinamori onto his back.

"Let's go." He told the mighty beast.

Willingly, the ice dragon lifted himself from the wasteland and into the sky above. Hitsugaya had faith in his loyal companion to lead them in the right direction and get them all to the location where the portal had first opened, so that they might return there. This was probably the last stretch of Hyorinmaru's strength for a while, if they ever made it back, Hitsugaya silently promised the ice dragon a long and much deserved rest.

As Hyorinmaru soared through dry, hot air, Hitsugaya tended to Hinamori's wounds, as best as he could, while at the same time coping with his own. He gently let his fingers dance over the sleeves of her shihakushou, trying to pinpoint anything that seemed fractured or broken.

He ran his hands over each arm, her right arm looked more fragile and crumpled than the left. As his touch made contact with her skin, he saw her eyebrows twitch uncomfortably and pulled back. Her right arm was definitely broken, and the skin on her left shoulder was raw and encrusted with dried blood from where the Hollow had attacked her.

His own wound on the other hand, had almost healed completely from the ice he had frozen over it. But the ice he had spread on her wound prior had done little to mend the injury. He re-applied the ice to her shoulder and encircled her right arm in an ice cast as well.

He did not fail to keep lookout for a familiar sign, but nothing seemed recognizable. But he trusted Hyorinmaru's instincts and had faith that he was taking them in the direction from which they had come.

Cold emitted from the mighty dragon, cooling down the dry, barren desert air. And as they flew, the air pushed against them, allowing them to feel a comforting breeze, which Hitsugaya was very grateful for.

He had been re-united with his best friend once again, and he swore that he would never loose her again, and that he would make sure that she did not die.

After all that they had been through together, there was no way that he would let her die.

Now, it was probably around midnight, and they were so far up in the night sky, and so far out of rang of any enemies.

Hyorinmaru would keep them safe, and Hitsugaya saw no harm in glancing dreamily up at the stars and letting his guard down, if only for a moment.

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A/N: Sumimasen, I rushed the last chapter a bit and forgot to put an Author's Note. Well, I hope you guys enjoyed those chapters. Please review!!


	23. Return

Chapter 23. Return

Ano...yeah...I still do not own Bleach.

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Blackness almost overcame him, but Hitsugaya snapped his eyes open immediately.

The stargazing that he had recently been a part of had almost caused him to fall asleep. But he had to tend to Hinamori's wounds.

As he shook his head to clear it, his eyes were suddenly drawn towards a large mountain-like rock in the distance.

This had been his landmark; they were almost there.

Relief drowned out all of his other feelings for a moment, and silently, he thanked the ice dragon. Then he returned to mending his friend's injuries. He found out that not only was her right arm broken and her left shoulder torn to ribbons, but her right ankle was broken as well.

The icy cocoon around his left arm was beginning to melt, letting fresh pain prickle his bones. But he was just thankful that neither of them had broken their necks. They were all getting out of this place, and they were all getting out alive; that is what he hoped.

The dark sky soon lightened a shade or two, signaling what would have been morning. Hinamori still had not woken up, nor had she stirred at all in the night. But Hitsugaya knew that she would be fine, for he knew for a fact that she did not give up easily. Although he could not say what they had been through in the past days had been 'easy'.

Hunger no longer wrestled his stomach, for the feeling of hunger had drained away long ago. The only thing that made the white-haired boy restless was once again the lack of water, but he had no time for this now; they were almost there. Dry throat aside, Hitsugaya concentrated on the area of sand up ahead, looking for the place that seemed right to re-open the portal. Hyorinmaru continued to fly on, and Hitsugaya knew that the dragon was certain about where he was going.

Finally, the mighty creature began to lower himself to the ground, steadily slowing down as he dropped to the sand below. His powerful wings stirred the sand that had not been touched for countless millennia. As he settled down, the dragon lay flat on his breast and stomach, as to make it easier for his master and his friend to step off.

Hitsugaya carefully cradled Hinamori into his arms, trying to avoid her wounds, and at the same time not applying pressure on his own. Quickly, he hopped off of the beast's back, and stumbled for balance yet making sure not to hurt the precious girl in his arms. Riding on Hyorinmaru for as long as he was made his legs feel like they were filled with cotton.

"Arigato, Hyorinmaru, without you I never would have made it this far." He was truly grateful, and his companion knew this. The dragon's only response was a faint nod before he melted away and returned to the Zanpakutou.

Gently, Hitsugaya lay Hinamori down on the ground beside him. He remained standing and crossed his wrists, wincing as pain stabbed his left arm but he ignored it. His palms pointed to the empty air before him, which was where he intended to form the portal back to Rukongai. As he began the incantation, a green light began to develop around his hands.

"Soar, mighty falcon who stretches his wings far above the mountains. The lethal tiger pounces with flexed claws and the wolf prowls with fangs gleaming. Blood stains the earth as the battle begins, and that which was concealed becomes unlocked. Art of Sealing No. 88, KAIHOU!"

The marshy green light floated from his hands and swirled itself into a circle in front of him. It shimmered there for a moment, unmoving, and then the glowing beams brightened shockingly, and Hitsugaya flinched at the sudden change in shading.

This world was eternal night, and after being there so long, resting his eyes upon actual light was overwhelming. It was like giving a blind creature the privilege of sight. As the colors pulsed before him, the glittering shape suddenly widened and a white beam crackled like lightning; the portal had opened.

Brushing off the intense affliction that throbbed in his left arm, he gingerly lifted Hinamori in his arms and with no regrets, he stepped into the light and entered the portal back home.

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Dawn sunlight filtered through the windows around the room, causing the white room and walls to turn pale.

Hinamori was thankful for the clean, white sheets that enveloped her in a cozy bundle. The materials and fabrics were cool and fresh, although the warm beams of sun comforted her even more. She tugged the sheets closer to her body with her left hand, but winced as she was reminded of the wound on her shoulder.

Hitsugaya and herself had returned about three days ago, but Unohana taichou had strictly forbidden Hinamori to move from the bed for at least a month. The medicines and remedies that the 4th divisions taichou used were baffling, without them, Hinamori would have been stuck in bed for almost three months, which in Hinamori's point of view was far too long without doing anything.

Her entire body ached, but right now she just wanted to savor the soft, comforting feeling of the sheets, the fluffy pillow supporting her throbbing head, and the soothing mattress underneath her. She closed her eyes and was on the border of slumber, when a knock sounded on the door. Hinamori slowly pulled the sheets away from her mouth.

"H-Hai?" She said shakily.

Her voice was cracked with tiredness. She did not see her, but Hinamori heard Unohana's gentle whisper sound from across the room.

"Hinamori fukuutaichou, you have a visitor. Guess who?" She let out a small laugh of amusement.

Hinamori's heart lifted as she heard light footsteps gradually traveling across the wooden floor to her bedside.

Unohana closed the door respectfully behind her and let the two alone.

Love and happiness flooded over her as Hitsugaya's warm hand closed around her small, cold one.

Her right arm was still in pain, but her hand went limp as she let his touch comfort her.

She could not see his face, for white sheets blocked her view for the most part.

But she knew he was smiling, he was always smiling when he was with her.

And as the reassurance of his presence overflowed within her heart, she smiled too.

"Hitsugaya-kun…"

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A/N: Well there you go! They have finally returned home! I hope you enjoyed some romance and fluff!!! But be warned, I am not done yet! Plenty more fluff...

I had a great time coming up with the Kidou phrase lol.By the way, Kaihou means open.

Please review!!


	24. The Past And The Present

Chapter 24. The Past And The Present 

I do not own Bleach D:

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Hitsugaya pushed the pillows up against the bed with his right arm as Hinamori slowly sat herself up to lean against them. 

The aqua-eyed boy supported her and gently helped her, the process took over 5 minutes, because he was trying so hard not to hurt her. She was so delicate now, the girl he had once known to be able to take down Hollow with one simple swing of her sword, the girl who was never afraid of anything worth being afraid of. The loyal, determined girl he had come to love was now as fragile as porcelain. 

As she finally managed to shift into the position she desired, she folded her hands in her lap and smiled at her friend. He moved himself to sit down next to her. 

"You _never _cease to amaze me." He smirked. The girl cocked her head to one side.

"What do you mean?"

"You're _always_ finding ways to get yourself into trouble." He sighed teasingly. She glared at him and he knew that if they both had not been in the hospital, she would have jabbed him in the stomach. "So how long do you have to stay here?" He asked a moment later. 

"Unohana taichou said that I would be in the hospital for about a month, and then I can leave, but I shouldn't train for a while." Her chestnut eyes twinkled with disappointment, she hated not being able to do anything. 

She had lived with him and his grandmother when she was little, and he knew her better than anyone else. He knew that she became bored very easily, and he never got a moment of peace back then, because she was always nagging him to play with her. But he had also gotten bored very easily as well, so even though he never said it aloud, he secretly enjoyed playing with her. 

Then Hinamori remembered that he had injuries as well, and quickly added. "When can you leave?" Hitsugaya cleared his head of their shared memories, and replied.

"Unohana said that I'll only be here for the week, but then I still can't train for two weeks after that." Jealousy tinted Hinamori's eyes. 

"Lucky," She mumbled. "I can't train again for at least a month after I'm released." She pouted, he smirked. 

"Well at least you won't have to do paperwork for a while." He tired feebly to make her feel better. "I can still use my right hand so I still have to do mine." His smirk faded teasingly. But his comment seemed only to make her feel worse. 

"Yes but even if I don't have to do any _now_, you know that once I get out I'll have mountains of it." Her spirits dropped even more and Hitsugaya mentally slapped himself. But she knew his good intensions, and added. "Well I could try to become a lefty I suppose." She suggested half-heartedly. 

"I could bring you you're paperwork." Hitsugaya proposed the thought. 

"Yes and I could fill it out with my left hand?" She challenged playfully. He nodded with a smile.

"Yes, and then when whoever receives it reads it, they'll think you had a seizure while writing it." They both laughed. Then Hinamori opposed another question. 

"Who _does_ receive those papers?" Surprise filled aqua eyes as the question was brought forth to Hitsugaya's mind for the first time. He pondered it for a moment, seeing that Hinamori was also thinking deeply about it. 

"I honestly have _no_ idea." Hitsugaya laughed as Hinamori smiled. 

"I bet they just give us all random papers and make us read and sign them for no apparent reason just to give us something to do." The girl put forth the possible option, and the two laughed again. 

Memories of the times that they had once shared together came over the both of them, and they cherished the moments. The rays of the sun outside signaled that it was about noontime now. Hinamori noted the fact and spoke up to her friend. 

"Its noon now Hitsugaya-kun, you probably have better things to do than sit here with me." Hitsugaya's eyes went round, with a bit of shock and amusement.

"Are you kidding me? I'm stuck in this place for another six days, its not like I have anything important to do. Besides, Unohana would have me bedridden for months if I stepped foot out of the 4th division." He joked. 

"Besides," He added when Hinamori smiled faintly. "I _want_ to be here, as long as you're here, there's nowhere else I'd rather be, and no one else I'd rather be with."

Her face flushed with embarrassment and shyness and she turned her head away. He smiled and stood to his feet, making his way back across the room. She whipped her head around quickly, regretting not saying anything back to him; she did not want him to leave…

"Ueito…" Was all she could manage to say. She fumbled for words to tell him that she wanted him to stay. He stopped walking and turned back to her.

"Don't worry, I'll be back in a minute." He smiled good-humoredly. 

Then she reflected the lighthearted smile and watched as he left the room, closing the door behind him. 

She sat in the bed, patiently waiting for her friend's return. Once again she cupped her hands in her lap, and laid her head back against the pillows. She rolled her head over so that she was now looking out the window, the beams of sun strong in the sky, giving off warmth to the world below. She blinked her eyes and squinted in the bright light; her eyes still had not gotten completely used to the brilliance of the real sun and all of its intense light. 

But her blinded eyesight aside, she was more than thankful to have the light of the sun blazing above her head, watching over all that it touched, and even things that it did not.

A small sparrow fluttered its wings and perched outside on the windowsill. It was so quiet that she could hear it chirping merrily from inside. She smiled, wishing that she could have freedom that of a bird. Being able to go where you wanted and do what you pleased, being able to fly on the breeze and sing blissfully, even when peril, risks and threats were manipulating the world below. 

But for every bird, there was a hawk. 

Troubles follow after everyone and everything, and there is simply no avoiding that fact. But, when there is menace, there is also peace; one just has to seek it. 

And right now, there was one less menace in Hinamori's life, as well as Hitsugaya's, and right now, she just had too rest and receive her reward of peace. 

Her eyes were about to fall closed, when the sound of footsteps perked in her ears, andshe turned in time to see the door open and Hitsugaya step into the room. 

In his left hand, he held two slices of fresh watermelon. 

Her eyes widened and happiness mixed in with their chestnut color. 

Hitsugaya smiled.

"Let's eat." 

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A/N: Yes yes fluff, good times...

Ueito means wait

This chapter did not have too much going on but there will be more going on later I promise!

Please review! At the first chapter I had about 2,000 hits, and now I am down to the small number of only about 60 loyal readers. So thanks to you all who have stuck with me this far! I appreciate it! Keep reading, keep reviewing and I will keep posting and writing more! Arigatou Gozaimasu!


	25. Feelings Released

Chapter 25. Feelings Released 

I do not own Bleach!

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Hinamori closed her eyes and let the sweet, juicy taste of the watermelon take her back to the years she missed so dearly. 

The cold liquid trickled down her throat and she chewed the red fruit with a smile on her face. Hitsugaya had dived into his fruit as well, taking large portions of it in his mouth at a time, while she took smaller, daintier bites. 

The white-haired boy finished first, placing the green crust-like part of the produce on a small wooden table at her bedside. When Hinamori finished as well, she placed hers next to his on the table. The sun blazing outside told them that it was past noon, and Hinamori stole a glance out the window, the sparrow was gone. 

"Doushita?" He asked when he noticed her silence. She turned back to him and smiled. 

"Oh nothing." Then she dared to pose the question that she had wanted to ask him. "Hitsugaya-kun?" 

He glanced over at her to show her that he had heard, and she went on. 

"How did you gain all of that power without Hyorinmaru? It looked like your BanKai, but when we were first ambushed, you didn't have your Zanpakutou. How did you get those wings and tail without him?" 

The question had been nagging at her ever since they had returned andshe had regained consciousness. The playfulness of the boy he had once been in the past melted back into the seriousness of the boy prodigy, and Hinamori regretted ever asking. He lowered his eyes, as if he did not want to have to be a genius anymore, as if he just wanted things to return to the way they used to be, like she did. But he answered nonetheless. 

"I think it's because I'm starting to become closer and closer to Hyorinmaru, its like I can use ShiKai and BanKai without him. We're sharing our powers and abilities with each other, so now I think I can use his powers any time I need." Hinamori thought that she heard the slightest hint of sadness in his voice. Then, an idea sparked her. 

"I wish _I_ was that close with Tobiume. Well, actually to tell you the truth, I wish I never grew up, I wish we were still little, still living together, still closer then a brother and sister…" 

Longing and remorse filled her eyes and she lowered her eyes. But as she lowered her eyes, he lifted his, locking their gazes in mid-air. 

"Me too." 

He smiled in agreement, thanks and understanding glowing in his aqua eyes. Emotion overwhelmed her as she saw the longing in his eyes and tears moved forward to the edges of her eyelashes. His eyes widened as he saw he start to cry and the feeling that he could do nothing for her came over him and guilt began to flicker inside of him. But then she lifted her head up to look at him, yearning and loneliness overflowed her teary, chestnut eyes. 

"Oh, Hitsugaya-kun, I want to go back to the way things were, how they used to be. I want to be with you and I want you to be with me; always, just like it used to be. I want to be close to you and see your smile when I'm sad. I want you to be there when I'm alone. I know, I'm being selfish but…there's just nothing else I want more than that…" She cried softly. 

He smiled affectionately at her and nudged himself closer to her. He tenderly placed his left hand on her right, and she winced ever so slightly. Warm tears seeped into the clean white sheets and some landed on his skin. 

"Hey, come on, it's not that bad. We still have each other, and you know I'll always be there for you." He tried his best to comfort her, but none of his methods appeared to take affect on her. 

"But, things will never be quite the same as they used to be." She sniffed. Hitsugaya sighed and small grin found its way across his lips. 

"Well if there's no other way…" 

He did not finish his sentence, for he leaned forward and gently, kissed her on the lips. He felt her breath cut off sharply and her tears ceased immediately, but slowly, she melted into the kiss. He pulled away but she avoided his eyes, tears streaming down her face. He sighed again. 

"You know I love you." He whispered. She nodded slowly, still not making eye contact. "I'll always be here." He said, his grip on her hand tightening. Then, her adoring, chestnut eyes fasten with his aqua ones. 

"I love you too, Hitsugaya-kun, I do! It's just…we can never turn back time, and…I really want to." He moved closer to her, offering all of the comfort he could.

"Believe me, you're not the only one. But, even though we can't go back in time, and re-live the past, we can cherish the present, and start a new future, _our __own _future, just for us." 

Finally, it was as if he had said something right, for she smiled happily at him. Another tear fell, and he hoped it was one of the last; he never wanted to see her hurt again. He stayed next to her, his hand resting on hers, until the sun sank behind the trees, and the sky went from intense blue to pale gold. As the silence crept around them, Hinamori stared to become uncomfortable and she had to break the quietness that engulfed them. 

"You know, you didn't have to do all that." She whispered un-expectantly. 

A faint blush of embarrassment slithered across his face. 

"D-Do what?" He stammered. 

"You didn't have to come after me." She clarified. He laughed softly. 

"Are you kidding? I couldn't leave you to die." 

"Yes, you could have." She countered sharply. 

He was taken aback by the ferocity of her words. 

"I wasn't just going to stand idly by and let them kill you!" 

He raised his voice and his grip on her hand unconsciously tightened. She flinched, so slightly that he wouldn't have noticed, but anger still flashed in her eyes. Hitsugaya saw this anger, and fury began to bubble in his veins. 

_Why is she angry? I saved her life! Was that the right thing to do, or should I just have let her die?_

His thoughts were harsh and ruthless as began to doubt weather he should have saved her at all. 

She was so ungrateful…

"Hitsugaya-kun, why did you come after me? You could have been killed! You almost died, for me! Why don't you understand _I'm not worth it_!" 

Silence crept around them again, but Hinamori continued after a moment. 

"Why can't you understand that I don't want blood shed for me? If you had died trying to save me I would never forgive myself for being so weak, and I would never forgive _you_ for trying to save me! I don't want you to die for me! I don't want you to have to make up for my weaknesses! They're _my_ flaws and you shouldn't have to suffer for them." 

The merciless tears poured down her face once again, and Hitsugaya's cruel thoughts evaporated like a dewdrop in a desert. He loosened his unsympathetic grasp on her right hand and stared at her in astonishment. Hurt and confusion resided in her chestnut gaze as she glared at him. He could not hold back any longer, and without a moments' hesitation, he had pulled her into a soft embrace. 

"Don't ever say those things." He told her. 

She drew in her breath and feebly shook her head. 

"You didn't have to…"

"Baka." He said softly, and he pulled her closer. 

"I'd do anything for you."

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A/N: Yes I know I made them fight but that just brought them closer together! I hope you all liked it!

**This is NOT the last chapter!** There is an epilogue! Wait for it! Songfic next chapter!

Please please PLEASE review!


	26. Epilogue : A New Day Has Come

Epilogue

Chapter 26. A New Day Has Come

I do not own Bleach.

* * *

Hitsugaya leaned against the wall in his office, staring out into the distant horizon from the confined space of his building's division.

Hinamori was to be released from the hospital whenever she woke up.

Since the sun was about an hour away from rising, he guessed that she would be out of there in 50 minutes, for she was always one of the very first to awake in Soul Society, that is, except for today.

Hitsugaya was convinced that the main reason she woke up so early was because she loved to see the sunrise. And as he stood there, by the window in his office, Hitsugaya began to think that he, as well as many others should follow her lead.

Sunrise was the symbol that represented the start of a new day, and the start of a new beginning, when one could start over, and try again.

_**A new day…ohhh **_

_**A new day…ohhh**_

Hinamori had woken up about two hours before the sun rose.

She knew that the members of the 4th division probably would not be awake yet, and she was not about to be rude and wake anyone.

She glanced out at the sky, it was early Spring now, the dark sky was violet and still dabbed with stars. The silver moon was waxing and half-full, bathing the world below in a pale river. The night was slowly transforming into day, the day that she knew she would be released from this hospital, so the night before she had lost about 3 hours of sleep.

She had been awake and eager for one hour so far and still had two more until the sun came up. But she just loved the sight of the silent world before morning.

Nothing stirred, aside from a small flitter or flutter in the shadows.

And nothing made a sound, aside from the faint scuttling and ruffling among the undergrowth.

And since she had so much time to kill, she let her mind be filled with the sweet and treasured memories of the past she had shared with the one she loved so much.

_**I was waiting for so long**_

_**For a miracle to come**_

_**Everyone told me to be strong**_

_**Hold on, and don't shed a tear**_

Everything came back to her that morning, every battle that she had ever fought, won and lost.

She remembered the times that she had been defeated, every time from the Arrancar, and all the way back to her first training practice at the Shinigami Academy.

The dark shadows of betrayal that had overcome her, her former taichou and all of his plots and ambitions, and intensions. Yet with each of the battles she had lost, she had won two in return.

Almost everyone thought that she had it easy; apparently, they thought that becoming fukuutaichou was simple for her.

And they were dead wrong.

She had worked herself to the bone to obtain her current position; it had not in the slightest been _easy_.

But, she had always had one person by her side, who she could always count on to be there for her, no matter what.

All this time, she had been waiting for someone; she had just never been quite sure whom.

All this time she had been searching, waiting for him.

_**Through the darkness and good times**_

_**I knew I'd make it through**_

_**And the world thought I had it all**_

_**But I was waiting for you**_

As the golden sun flooded over the awakening world below, Hitsugaya stood up straight from leaning, and made his way towards the door.

He walked through the early shadows of the Seireitei streets his hands tucking into his sleeves and his arms folded across his chest. Only a soft breeze and the distant chorus chant of the birds sounded as he made his way to the 4th division. When he finally arrived at his destination, he did not enter, for he was sure that no one was awake yet.

He continued to stare up at the brightening sky as he leaned back against the building behind him. But then, he saw that there were dark clouds hovering in the distance, slowly being blow towards the sun by the wind. The sharp tang of rain was on the wind and Hitsugaya prayed that it held off until Hinamori was released.

As time ticked by, the sun grew brighter and brighter and Hitsugaya began to wonder if the storm would manage to break out at all. As he stared out at the awakening city, the aqua-eyed boy failed to notice that inside the building he leaned against, a door was being opened, and a girl was stepping out.

As movement caught his eye, Hitsugaya turned around to see Hinamori stretching as she walked out of the medical building and gazing up at the sun, not noticing him.

The way the sunlight showered her, made her look attractively beautiful, her charm stunned him for the first time, and at that moment she turned in his direction, eyes sparkling, and the two exchanged smiles.

_**Hush, now,**_

_**I see a light in the sky, oh**_

_**It's almost blinding me**_

_**I can't believe **_

_**I've been touched by an angel with love**_

A small river of stray tears began to stream down her face as he walked over to her.

She was not sad, she was happy, overjoyed, and so she cried.

Then, as Hitsugaya stood by her side, the first few raindrops descended from the blue heavens and dripped onto the world below. Although the drizzle had taken its dark cloud with it, the sun still shown brightly above. She stood by him and gazed up at the strange sky, clouds accompanying sunlight as the droplets fell, all at the same time.

As the rain came down, it refreshed everything, and everyone it touched, cleansing them of old sins and letting them start anew.

It washed away all regrets and fears, all sorrow, sadness, and worries, and made room for new ones, later on.

_**Let the rain come down and wash away my tears**_

_**Let it feel my soul and drown my fears**_

_**Let it shatter the walls for a new sun**_

_**A new day has come**_

Hitsugaya placed his hand on her head, shielding her from the cool rain that steadily poured blissfully from above.

He wondered where it all came from. How could such delicate, weightless clouds hold so much water, and have it spill out all at once in multiple locations? And when it rained, why did the water come down as individual drops, and not an overwhelming wave? Why did it not showered them as if it were an ocean current, or like a glass that had been tipped over, instead of like a sprinkler?

These questions had always lurked in his mind, but he had never actually given them thought until now, and he did not know the reason why they came to him now. As the rain continued to steadily shower them, Hitsugaya was beginning to think that his hand would not keep her dry much longer.

He was about to suggest going inside, but when he glanced down at her, her chestnut eyes were sparkling, as if she were enjoying the sky water. Instead of inside, Hitsugaya suggested sheltering under a nearby tree, and to his surprise, Hinamori accepted heartily.

She gazed up into his aqua eyes, and locked their vision.

She saw the determination to protect and the love only a true friend could have in those eyes.

_**Where it was dark now there's light**_

_**Where there was pain now there's joy**_

_**Where there was weakness I found my strength**_

_**All in the eyes of a boy**_

Hinamori shivered slightly at the cold water, and the next thing she knew, Hitsugaya had offered her to sit down.

She neatly curled her legs under her and knelt beside him, as he leaned back against the tree. The fact that his warm hand was no longer protecting her head, the wet girl switched positions and made her way over to the dripping tree and leaned back beside him.

He lay his arm around her and she cuddled closer to him.

She was aware that the light of the sun was becoming stronger and brighter, yet the rain did not cease.

_**Hush, now**_

_**I see a light in the sky, oh**_

_**It's almost blinding me**_

_**I can't believe **_

_**I've been touched by an angel with love**_

The cold chill of the rain seeped into her, drenching her hair, and trickled from every inch of her being.

Her once warm shihakushou was now soaked with the water that fell so ecstatically from the bright sky above. However, the warmth of her friend comforted her somewhat, but she lifted her head and looked out over the awakening world.

And the rain seemed to wash away all of her fears, regrets, and worries, and carry them away in an unseen tide.

She wondered if the rain did this to anyone else as well, this invisible cleansing of the mind, body, and soul.

_**Let the rain come down and wash away my tears**_

_**Let it feel my soul and drown my fears**_

_**Let it shatter the walls for a new sun**_

_**A new day has…**_

The wet girl tried her best to keep herself from shivering, for this would signal Hitsugaya that she was cold, whereas he would make her go inside.

She envied him, he had the ability of the snow and the rain in every season, and he never got cold. In fact, she could not recall even one time when she saw him shiver, aside from times when he thought about something or someone he hated.

But to her, he was like the rain. He washed away he troubles and fears, and he replenished every fiber of her soul with love.

When she was around him, her heart beat more calmly, and it was as if the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders.

_**Let the rain come down and wash away my tears **_

_**Let it feel my soul and drown my fears **_

_**Let it shatter the walls for a new sun **_

_**A new day has come**_

Suddenly, the sun burst from behind its cloudy cell, and the final shower of rain pattered down to the world below it.

Gently, Hitsugaya uncurled his warm arms from around her and she wished that he had not. Hinamori shivered and shook the water from her drenched body as she pulled away from her friend. The peace and the love they shared now made it feel as if the battle weeks before had never happened at all. She wanted to cry of joy again, but she stopped herself, for she was quite tired of crying.

And besides, that would only make him worry.

Hitsugaya slowly stood to his feet, and as Hinamori staggered after him, he reached out his hand. She carefully slid her hand in his; they fit perfectly, like a puzzle.

As he pulled her up, she saw the sincerity and affection only he could give her.

His eyes sparkled brighter than the sun to her, with feelings that no one else had to offer.

_**Hush, now**_

_**I see a light in your eyes**_

_**All in the eyes of a boy**_

The two of them walked away from the tree near the 4th division building, and it seemed that Hitsugaya was leading her back to the 10th division.

Light sprinkles of rain still drizzled and droplets clung onto the trees and rooftops, sliding off whenever they pleased to do so.

A feeling that she had never felt towards anyone else flourished inside of Hinamori as she walked along beside her friend.

_**I can't believe**_

_**I've been touched by an angel, with love**_

The day had breezed by faster than either of them could have thought, and Hitsugaya had to offer for Hinamori to spend the night.

I was far before dusk, but he did not like the thought of her out by herself when she was still recovering, who knows what could happen?

Said offer was accepted gratefully, and Hinamori neatly sat herself down on his couch. The dreariness of the outside world made her tired, and the lazy patter of a new rainfall drummed a hypnotizing lullaby.

The white-haired taichou sat down next to her, and before he knew anything more, she was asleep on his shoulder.

_**I can't believe I've been touched by an angel with love**_

Hitsugaya let her sleep soundly, and since it was so early, he knew that she would wake up very early as well, so he allowed his eyelids to close.

The steady humming of the rain was so distant, and Hinamori was so close to him, that he did not know if the beating sound ringing in his ears was the water, or her heartbeat.

Nonetheless, her soft breathing calmed him, and he listened to her deep inhalations.

"Oyasuminasai." He whispered.

And the night left the two friends together, sleeping peacefully like they had been once before.

_**Hush, now (oh)**_

_**A new day (oh)**_

_**Hush, now**_

_**A new day. **_

* * *

A/N: Sumimasen, was that chapter longer than all the others? Oh well, please let me know what you thought! Review!!

**This is not the last chapter either!!**

Haha yeah, ano...I am not sure if people normally do this but my epilogue has 2 chapters. So that means, the next chapter is the last!!

And once again, thanks to all who have stuck with me, read this far, reviewed and pointed out my mistakes, or simply told me that they liked the story.


	27. Epilogue : Old Endings, New Beginnings

Epilogue:

Chapter 27. Old Endings, New Beginnings

For the last time you will here this from

me in this story, I do not own Bleach.

* * *

Dust quivered above the beaten soil as the foggy, brown clouds began to clear away.

Hinamori was at one end, Hitsugaya at the other, both were panting with Zanpakutou drawn and eyes locked on one another.

It was late, almost dusk, the day after the rain shower, and Hinamori had convinced him that she was feeling up to training.

That was no lie.

She was coming at him with almost everything she had in their 'fight', and, to show honor and respect, he did the same. They were attacking and defending as if it were an actual battle, anything less would be insulting or disrespectful, not to treat the other as a worthy opponent. But the rules in their training sessions were different from an actual battle; they could not use ShiKai or anything above it; just sword and skill.

Hinamori's chestnut eyes blazed at him, as though he were a real opponent, determination filled her body with every breath. Hitsugaya reflected the look that he would give an enemy, somewhat angry.

Before he could come up with a strategy of his own, Hinamori had leapt at him through the clearing dust, Tobiume only feet away from him, and gaining. Hitsugaya threw up his sword and the two blades connected with a spine tingling clash of metal, and sparks danced in the air around them. Hitsugaya regained his balance but Hinamori was already upon him, striking once again only to be blocked. Her persistence told Hitsugaya that he should not hold back on her, no matter how badly he wanted to. But he would not insult her by only giving her 50 percent.

He leapt forward at her and she threw up her Zanpakutou to block his attack, and she pushed backwards with all of her might, thrusting him into the air and away from her. Almost automatically, she came at him again through the dust, her sword drawn. As Hitsugaya blocked again, Hinamori quickly shifted her weight, twisted around, and landed an unexpected kick directly on his face.

He recoiled for a moment, bringing his hand up to his bruised cheek, cooling it off quickly with his icy abilities, and seconds later, Hinamori was coming at him again. But this time he was ready for her and as their swords clashed for what must have been the 50th time that day, he stepped forward and threw her backwards, similar of what she had done to him only moments before.

Except his landing had been on the solid ground, while hers was against the rough bark of a nearby tree. Hitsugaya winced as she collided with the hard tree bark, splinters of wood rained down around her, and Hitsugaya raced over to her.

"Hinamori!"

Guilt came over him as he saw how much damage the fall had caused her. But as he made his way to her, she sat up slowly, and coughed a few times to clear the dust from her throat. She staggered to her feet, leaning on her sword for support, and stood up straight.

"You alright?" Hitsugaya asked, letting her lean on him. She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She choked.

"You still always find ways to get yourself into trouble." He sighed under his breath. "That's enough training for today, neh?" He suggested. It took her a moment to get her breath back and reply.

"I suppose." She sounded disappointed. "But I wish we could have trained more today." She glanced up at the sky, the sun still lingering in the West section of the heavens.

"Hey, you shouldn't be complaining." Hitsugaya teased, as he sheathed his sword. "We've been training all day, since _way_ before noon. You came over to my office the second you woke up this morning! And with you that would be _before dawn_!" He laughed, and also managed to make her smile as well.

"Hai. Demo, I still feel as though I could have done better during training today." She frowned. Hitsugaya laughed again.

"Are you kidding me? You just got out of the hospital two days ago and haven't trained for _weeks_. Hell, you fought better then most people in all of Soul Society even after you just got released from the infirmary." His complements were enough to make her laugh.

"Arigatou." As they walked back towards Seireitei, the sky began to turn violet, as if paint had been spilled and was pouring out across the heavens. Then, a faint light in the distance caught Hinamori's eye and she glanced upward. "Look, Hitsugaya-kun, a shooting star!" She smiled as the streak of white made its way across the sky. Hinamori stopped walking and closed her eyes, clasping her hands together.

_I wish that Hitsugaya-kun and I would be together forever no matter what._ She wished silently.

As she opened her eyes, Hitsugaya was mumbling something softly.

"I wish for Hinamori's happiness." He whispered. Her eyes widened in shock as the rare star fell away into the night.

"You wasted you 'once-in-a-million-year' wish for me Hitsugaya-kun." She blushed slightly. "You didn't have to do that." Without turning to her he shrugged.

"It's the only thing I could come up with." He said dully. Anyone else would have thought that he did not care, but Hinamori could tell that that was the only wish that he could possibly want granted. She smiled again.

"You didn't have to do any of the things you did for me, Hitsugaya-kun."

She stepped forward and Hitsugaya turned to her.

He pulled her forward into a gentle kiss that lasted less then a heartbeat.

Then he pulled back and smiled.

"Baka, what did I tell you before?"

His aqua eyes glistened with love.

"I'd do anything for you."

* * *

A/N: Finally! It is over! I bet some of you are glad and some of you may be disappointed but I do not think that I could have made it much longer.

I hope that you all enjoyed every chapter and every romantic/actiony/angsty moment. Special thanks to everyone who actually _read_ the entire story and stayed with me. And special thanks also go to all of you who have reviewed. As for those of you who have not, this is your last chance to do so for this story so...

**Please review!!**

Again, I hope that you all liked the story! Arigatou Gozaimasu for reading!! HitsuHina4ever!!


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